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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional expenses amounting to almost £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were obviously work-related, noting that the US president held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

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

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

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this decision and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that visit came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."