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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were obviously work-related, noting that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for policing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration stated that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."