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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5m expense incurred during recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

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

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

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

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with the president, having press conferences with him, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."