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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to almost £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "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 the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is believed that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."