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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and cover the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were obviously official, noting that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long trip in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated 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 securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs incurred in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that trip came after a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."