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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding 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 visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

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

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs accrued in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that trip followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, engaging in international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip."