The Scottish government has called on Westminster to reimburse nearly £24.5 million in costs incurred during recent visits by US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance to Scotland. Public finance minister Ivan McKee described the UK Treasury's refusal to provide funding as 'ridiculous', arguing that the trips were working visits rather than private holidays.
Provisional figures released by the Scottish government show policing costs of £21 million for Trump's five-day visit in July, which included stops at his golf resorts in Turnberry and Menie, and £3 million for Vance's four-day trip to Ayrshire in August. The operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, involving over 4,000 officers at peak times.
In a letter to Treasury Chief Secretary James Murray, Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison noted that Trump held meetings with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his stay. She argued that the visits placed 'substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland'.
The UK government maintains the visits were private and not official UK business, stating that the Scottish government is responsible for policing costs under devolved funding arrangements. However, McKee countered that Starmer's engagement with Trump undermines this claim, saying 'it's really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip'.
