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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional costs amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were obviously work-related, noting that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that visit came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip."