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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly work-related, noting that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the biggest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that visit came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."