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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional costs amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit 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 personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that trip followed a official UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."