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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5 million for the two official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both trips were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in July, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."