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

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional expenses amounting to nearly £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were obviously work-related, noting that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around four days in Ayrshire in August.

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

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses incurred in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."