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

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the largest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this stance and provide complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that visit came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Especially when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with the president, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."