🔗 Share this article

The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, noting that the US president held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "After your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that trip followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."