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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

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

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were obviously official, noting that the American leader held discussions 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 Trips and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in July, while American VP Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the British administration covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which case it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with them, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip."