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

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to almost £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in relation to the visit of 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 trips."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the British administration covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is believed that trip came after a official UK government invitation, in which case it included protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."