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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were clearly official, noting that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were about £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the British administration covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip followed a formal UK government invitation, in which case it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with the president, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."