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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary costs totalling almost £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were clearly official, noting that the US president held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost 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: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."