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

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly work-related, noting 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.

Details of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the biggest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in connection with 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 review this decision and provide complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that trip followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Especially when you have the prime minister Sir Keir meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip."