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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 JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly official, noting that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for policing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in the country as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time 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 personal vacation."