Treasury says trips were private while Scottish ministers point out US president met Keir Starmer and it had to stump up for extra policing
The UK government needs to “step up” and reimburse the £24.5m cost of Donald Trump and JD Vance’s recent visits to Scotland, Holyrood’s public finance minister has said.
Provisional costs of almost £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.
Ivan McKee said it was “ridiculous” that the UK government had so far refused to provide funding, framing both trips as private visits, despite the fact that the US president held meetings with the EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, during his time in Scotland in July.
Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire during a five-day trip in July, while the US vice-president, JD Vance, spent about four days in Ayrshire in August.
