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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary expenses amounting to nearly £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex policing operation was the largest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following trip of VP Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

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

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, engaging in international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."