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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional costs amounting to almost £24.5 million for the two official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex security mission was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip followed a official UK government invitation, in which case it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."