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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly official, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip alone was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the British administration covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that trip followed a formal UK government invitation, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer 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."