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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary expenses totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were obviously official, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

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

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the biggest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses incurred in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this stance and offer complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster 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 meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."