The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.
Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed
Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.
Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly official, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.
Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs
Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in August.
In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland."
The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.
Large-Scale Security Mission
This complex policing operation was the largest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.
Robison wrote: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this decision and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."
Westminster Response and Past Precedent
The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."
While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the British administration reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is believed that visit came after a official UK government invitation, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.
"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."
