The Scottish government is demanding that the UK Treasury cover the $35 million bill for the recent visits of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, arguing that the trips, while described as private, imposed major costs on Scottish public services—especially the police. Finance Secretary Shona Robison says Trump's four-day tour of his Scottish golf courses in July and Vance's similar visit the following month required heightened security, with policing costs alone estimated at $27 million for the president and $8 million for the vice president, reports the Independent.
In a letter to Treasury Chief Secretary James Murray, Robison insisted that the visits, though technically private, were "diplomatically significant" and not initiated by the Scottish government. She pointed out that the UK government reimbursed policing costs for Trump's 2018 visit to Scotland, setting a precedent. Robison warned that failing to pay this time would strain Scotland's budget and create a "troubling precedent" for future high-profile visits. Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee echoed these concerns on the BBC, saying that forcing Scotland to absorb the costs could hurt local policing and was "completely unacceptable," given the visits' diplomatic nature and the fact that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Trump during his stay.
The UK government, however, isn't having it, with a rep putting it thusly: "These were private visits by the president and vice-president to Scotland, not official UK Government business. The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements." The Independent notes that in 2018, a UK Government invitation was extended to Trump prior to his visit; that was not the case this time.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
