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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs accrued in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced past instances where the UK government covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."