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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, noting that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses incurred in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that trip came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses 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 Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."