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

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

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

Ivan McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly work-related, noting that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in the summer, while American VP 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 stated that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this decision and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is believed that trip followed a official UK government invitation, in which case it covered security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly 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 him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."