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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly official, noting that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to request that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that trip came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. 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 them, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."