🔗 Share this article

The British administration is being urged to "step up" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, noting that the US president held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the British administration covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that trip followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."