🔗 Share this article

The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

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

Ivan McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

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

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

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

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this decision and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the UK government covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Especially 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."