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The British administration is being urged to "step up" and cover the £24.5m expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5m for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were obviously official, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs accrued in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in the country as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."