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The British administration is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

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

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both visits were obviously official, noting that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and included local officers, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson added: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced past instances where the British administration covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer 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 private holiday trip."