🔗 Share this article

The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary expenses totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this decision and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in the country as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that trip followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

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