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The British administration is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional costs amounting to almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both visits were clearly official, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in the summer, while American VP Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "Following your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs incurred in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included protection expenses 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 official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."