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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both trips were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in July, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this stance and offer complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that trip followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."