Royal Yacht Britannia replacement to enter service in four years, says Boris Johnson

The new national flagship to replace the Royal Yacht Britannia and give British businesses a new global platform will enter service in four years, Boris Johnson has announced. 

The Prime Minister said work on the new flagship, which will be crewed by the Royal Navy, will start next year. The Government hopes it will be constructed at a UK shipyard.

Number 10 said the name of the new ship will be decided “in due course”, although sources have previously told The Telegraph that the intention is to call it “Prince Philip​” after the late Duke of Edinburgh.

An alternative name could be HMS Britannia, providing a clear link to the royal yacht, which was controversially decommissioned by Tony Blair in 1997.

The Government’s confirmation of a new flagship is a significant victory for a long running campaign by The Telegraph for a replacement for Britannia since Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

Mr Johnson said: “This new national flagship will be the first vessel of its kind in the world, reflecting the UK’s burgeoning status as a great, independent maritime trading nation. Every aspect of the ship, from its build to the businesses it showcases on board, will represent and promote the best of British – a clear and powerful symbol of our commitment to be an active player on the world stage.”

The new vessel will be used to host high-level trade negotiations and trade shows and will sail all over the world promoting British interests.

Number 10 said “a typical six-month itinerary for the flagship might include docking at a port in a country where a British prime ministerial visit is taking place, to accommodate parallel discussions between British and local businesses, hosting trade fairs to sell British products to an emerging market and providing the venue for an international ministerial summit or major trade negotiations between the UK and another government”.

Britannia used to host popular “trade days” when business leaders were encouraged to invest in the UK, and is estimated to have helped win £3 billion of trade deals between 1991 and 1995.

Jake Berry, a Tory MP and a key supporter of  the campaign for a new yacht, said: “Scrapping Britannia in 1997 was short-sighted and cruel. After a five-year campaign backed by The Telegraph, this is a fantastic day for HM the Queen and Great Britain. This successor to Britannia will be the ultimate projection of the power and majesty of the UK around the globe and the first sign of Global Britain in action.”

Downing Street, which released an artist’s impression of the new ship, declined to suggest its cost, but sources have said it could be as much as £200million.

The flagship could host members of the Royal family on overseas visits, but the Downing Street announcement did not mention whether the family might use the new vessel.

Number 10 said its role will be “distinct from that of any previous national flagship, reflecting the UK’s new status as an independent trading nation and helping us to seize the opportunities that status presents”. The ship is expected to be in service for 30 years.

Number 10 said it wanted the new vessel to “create jobs, help drive a renaissance in the UK’s shipbuilding industry and showcase the best of British engineering around the world”.

It added: “The tendering process for the design and construction of the ship will launch shortly, with an emphasis on building a vessel which reflects British design expertise and the latest innovations in green technology.”

If the new ship were named “Prince Philip”, it would be seen as an appropriate tribute to the Duke, who was Lord High Admiral from 2011. He played a key role in commissioning and designing the original yacht.

The decision not to replace Britannia in 1997 “signalled the end of an unbroken succession of Royal Yachts dating back to the reign of King Charles II”, the Duke wrote in Britannia’s official history in 2003.

The Duke, who travelled 70,000 miles on the ship, wrote: “The combination of her ocean-going capacity and efficient management reflected our long maritime traditions and made an invaluable contribution to the prestige of this country.”

A secret naval design for a replacement for Britannia was drawn up by naval staff in 1997 and approved by representatives of the Royal family, but the then Labour Government declined to pay for it.