🔗 Share this article

The British administration is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the two official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this decision and provide complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that visit came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."