Treasury cuts sink £250m flagship
PLANS to build a £250million successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia have been scrapped as part of a squeeze on government spending.
The national flagship plan was sunk by Rishi Sunak’s administration as Whitehall braced for cuts in the November 17 autumn statement by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
The plan was championed by Boris Johnson when he was PM, but has faced criticism from MPs at a time when there are other priorities for defence spending.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told MPs he was prioritising the procurement of the multi-role ocean surveillance ship (MROSS) instead of the flagship.
He said: “In the face of the Russian illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s reckless disregard of international arrangements designed to keep world order, it is right that we prioritise delivering capabilities which safeguard our national infrastructure.”
That meant he had “also directed the termination of the national flagship competition with immediate effect to bring forward the first MROSS ship in its place”.
The flagship had been expected to be constructed in the UK and take to the water in 2024 or 2025, and would have toured the world as a “floating embassy”.
It is believed the two private consortia bidding for the work were told yesterday that the project is being axed.
The Commons Defence Committee warned in 2021 that there was “no evidence of the advantage to the Royal Navy of acquiring the national flagship”.
It also said initial expenditure of around £250million, combined with the £20-30million a year running costs and expense of providing a crew, would pile extra pressure on the senior service.