Royal Yacht successor plans progress a step forward with Cost-Benefit analysis

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...medium=twitter

Royal Yacht successor plans progress a step forward with Cost-Benefit analysis

A cost-benefit analysis is to go ahead to look at plans for a new Royal Yacht

How a new Royal Yacht may look

The construction of a successor to royal yacht Britannia has moved a signifcant step closer after a group of entrepreneurs pledged £250,000 to pay a City firm to carry out an analysis of her costs and benefits to the British economy.

Deloitte, one of the world’s biggest consultancy firms, has been formally approached by the group of businessmen to develop plans for a successor to the royal yacht.

Representatives from the group met with Deloitte this week and have offered to pay £250,000 for a "scoping document" which will the cost of a new ship and her benefit to the economy.

The news is a major boost for The Daily Telegraph’s campaign for a modern-day version of Britannia to help secure trade deals once Britain has left the European Union.

About 100 Tory MPs - one in three of the Conservative parliamentary party - urged Theresa May, the Prime Minister, last month to commission a panel to examine the case for a new ship.

However Mrs May has refused to allow ministers to commit to spending any money on the project, despite support from at least two Cabinet ministers.

Queen & Commonwealth representatives: Commonwealth countries may help with funding the new Yacht

A source said: “The royal yacht was a magnificent asset to do trade deals for UK plc. The analysis will show that it is very viable and will more than pay for itself in won trade deals.”

Under plans being developed by the group, the new yacht could be funded by public subscription, and even a national lottery competition.

The group has a working title of “New Britain, New Britannia”. Commonwealth countries could also be asked to contribute.

The ship could be built with private money, and the yacht then given to the Queen as “wonderful gift for her service to the country”.

The source added: “We need to set out the cost analysis about why it makes sense and then we move onto how it is going to be funded as the next step.

“Once you have got a cost analysis you have a powerful reason to go to the Government."

The source said that the group wanted to get “the Government’s ‘buy in’ but it can be done with private money. It is a commercial venture”.

Excellent.

Hopefully things keep progressing with it, there's certainly support in government if it can be made to work.

Inclusion of the Commonwealth in it is important... both in the imperial symbolism and post-Brexit trade & investment.

Thoughts?

[dbgtz]

The group has a working title of “New Britain, New Britannia”. Commonwealth countries could also be asked to contribute.

Lol. Buy this boat, get no credit.

[xxMATTGxx]

I'll believe it when I see the ship being built. For some reason I just can't see it happening.

[AgnesIO]

Seems like a waste of money to me.

[FlyingJesus]

I want a boat too