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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were clearly official, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

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

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which case it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer spending time with the president, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."