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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the two official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were obviously official, noting that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This complex policing operation was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that visit followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with them, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."