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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5 million for the two working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the biggest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."