🔗 Share this article

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

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary expenses amounting to almost £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," stating that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of VP Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a official UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."