🔗 Share this article

The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional expenses totalling nearly £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex policing operation was the largest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the British administration reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that trip followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer spending time with the president, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."