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

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were obviously official, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while American VP Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the biggest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses incurred in connection with 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 review this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that trip followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, engaging in international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip."