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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were obviously official, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

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

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

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

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that visit came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

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