The Scottish Government has called on Westminster to reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during visits by US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance earlier this year. Both visits, lasting several days in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire, placed what ministers described as “substantial operational and financial burdens” on public services, particularly Police Scotland. Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote to Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray requesting that the UK Government reconsider its refusal to fund the costs.
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Ms Robison stated that the policing operation for President Trump’s four-day visit alone amounted to approximately £20 million, requiring daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while Vice President Vance’s trip added a further £6 million. Despite these figures, the UK Government has insisted that the visits were private and therefore not subject to central government reimbursement. In her letter, Ms Robison argued that, given their diplomatic significance, the visits should qualify for financial support under established precedents for foreign dignitaries’ trips to devolved nations.
She warned that failing to cover the costs would “not only strain devolved budgets but also set a troubling precedent for future high-profile visits.” Scotland’s Public Finance Minister, Ivan McKee, echoed this view, saying it was “completely unacceptable” for the Scottish Government to bear the costs of events that clearly involved international relations. He noted that the Prime Minister had met President Trump during the visit, underlining that it could not reasonably be considered private in nature.
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A UK Government spokesperson reaffirmed that the visits were not official UK Government business and that policing costs in Scotland fall under devolved funding arrangements. The disagreement highlights growing tension between Holyrood and Westminster over financial responsibility for major international visits. Ministers in Edinburgh maintain that, while Scotland did not invite the US leaders, it should not be penalised for ensuring their security during visits that attracted global attention.
