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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during recent trips by Donald Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary costs amounting to almost £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, noting that the US president 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 Security Expenses

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost 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 VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following trip of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that visit came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with them, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."