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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to almost £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers 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 incurred in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed 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 prime minister Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, engaging in international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."