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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional expenses totalling nearly £24.5 million for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in the country as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the UK government covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that visit followed a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."