PM asked to be ‘bold’ in retrofitting Royal Yacht successor

Boris Johnson has been asked to order the refitting of a UK ship to become ‘the successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia’ in a ‘bold’ plan drawn up by Penny Mordaunt, according to The News.

The former international secretary, and MP for Portsmouth North, has written to the prime minister asking him to be ‘bold and creative’ as she outlines her vision. She has put forward the concept of ‘highly flexible vessels’ that could be deployed to humanitarian crises, taking the strain from the ‘grey hulls’ of Royal Navy warships – while also being used to bring an economic boost for Britain.

Such ships would act as a UK Aid Maritime capability, Ms Mordaunt writes, and be UK-flagged and controlled. The ‘Britannia 2.0’ concept vessels ‘have been rightly seen as a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia,’ Ms Mordaunt said in her letter, according to The News

Ms Mordaunt has suggested private, research, commercial and charity cash could be brought in to fund the vessels, alongside funding from the aid budget, and in doing so could support shipyards that ‘need a steady drumbeat’ of production – potentially saving some from closure.

Read the full article online.