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The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional costs amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly work-related, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

The former president 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 four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

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

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in connection with the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following trip of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this decision and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

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

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the UK government covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."