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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while American VP Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

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

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses incurred in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following trip of VP Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration stated that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the UK government covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."