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The British administration is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary costs amounting to almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were clearly work-related, noting that the US president 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 Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in July, while American VP Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex policing operation was the biggest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in the country as per established devolved funding arrangements."

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

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."