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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional costs amounting to almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were obviously official, noting that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary 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 calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip."