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

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

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

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while costs 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 involved regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the UK government covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."