🔗 Share this article

The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent visits by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs amounting to almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both trips were obviously work-related, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

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

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs incurred in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following trip of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

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

While the Finance Secretary pointed to 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 instance 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 clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."