Plans for lottery to fund Britannia replacement ‘must be rethought’

MPS have been warned they need to rethink their suggestion of a new national lottery to fund a replacement royal yacht.

Former Conservative Cabinet minister David Mellor said the proposal is “far more complicated” than the MPs believe.

Mr Mellor, who was involved in the National Lottery’s development when serving as Heritage Secretary, added “talking vaguely” about a lottery is “not very helpful and unlikely to lead anywhere”.

Fifty MPs have backed the idea of launching a new national lottery to support the £120m

project. They argue the UK “needs and deserves a floating royal palace” which can host meetings and exhibitions to showcase British business and project its humanitarian work post-Brexit.

The Government last year insisted it had “no plans and has had no plans” to commission a replacement. The original Royal Yacht

was taken out of service in 1997 and is now a popular tourist attraction. Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay has co-ordinated a letter which has been sent to Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Culture Minister Tracey Crouch.

The South Thanet MP said a lottery would allow the public to choose to have a stake in

adding it could either be a game incorporated into the existing Camelot-run National Lottery or be “something entirely new”.

He said it would be “lovely” if the lottery could fund the project in its entirety although he believes there will be British businesses who would like to contribute toward the project.