🔗 Share this article

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

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly work-related, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

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

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time 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 personal vacation."