Boris Johnson says £250m royal yacht will show UK off to the world

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denied that plans to spend over £250 million on a new royal yacht are a waste of money.

Johnson claims the new royal yacht will help Britain to “show off” around the world.

Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer has said that Johnson should use the money on tackling anti-social behaviour instead of on the vessel.

However, Johnson insisted today, July 28, that the new “national flagship” yacht would attract foreign investment by enabling Britain to “show itself off to the world”.

“We need somewhere where the UK can show itself off to the world and attract investment and that will drive jobs and growth in the UK, not just in shipbuilding but across every sector of the UK,” he said to LBC.

“It is a project that will not only help to drive, revive the shipbuilding industry in this country, drive immediate jobs and growth for young people, immediate job opportunities for young people in a sector in which this country used to lead the world,” Johnson said.

“But when you consider the opportunity for the UK, as we compete now for inward investment in the UK, we need a forum, a place where the best of British business and industry can come together to showcase what we have to offer, and, you know what I mean by, by MIPIM, the world trade fairs, the expos.”

According to The London Economic, the yacht is to be paid for out of the Ministry of Defence budget, however, Downing Street has confirmed the ship will be for trade purposes.

Stephen Payne, the designer of the British transatlantic ocean liner Queen Mary 2, was not as excited about the plans, suggesting they are unsuitable and likely to cost even more than initially planned.

He said: “The superstructure front, akin to a 1950s Hull trawler, is great for a fair-weather ship but not such a good idea for a global voyager crossing the Atlantic, Pacific, or even rounding the tip of Africa.

“As for financing this ship, there’s £200 million to find and I’d be surprised if the running costs weren’t £5 million a year.”

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