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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were clearly official, noting that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

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

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the passing 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 decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs accrued in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."