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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional expenses amounting to almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly official, noting that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for policing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official 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 obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with the president, having press conferences with them, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."