🔗 Share this article

The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million cost incurred during recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

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

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were obviously work-related, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

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

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs incurred in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that visit came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."