‘Boris Johnson-backed idea’ to recommission Royal Yacht Britannia sunk by Downing Street

‘As far as I’m aware, the recommissioning of the Britannia is not on the agenda’

The PM’s spokesman did not back a campaign to recomission Britannia, here in Hong Kong (Getty)

Downing Street has rejected a Boris Johnson-backed proposal to recommission the royal yacht and use it to conduct trade deals once Britain has left the European Union.

The ship Britannia, which acted as the Queen’s private yacht between 1954 and 1997, hosted trade talks in the early 1990s before being axed by Tony Blair in 1997. It is currently docked in Scotland.

Referring to the campaign led by Tory backbencher Jake Berry, the Foreign Secretary appeared to give the idea momentum after the Sun newspaper quoted a friend of Mr Johnson as saying: “Boris is certainly intrigued by the idea Jake has floated. Britannia is a great symbol of global Britain.”

Mr Berry, who was planning to draw attention to the plan next month in Westminster, said last week: “In her latter years the royal yacht Britannia is estimated to have brought in £3billion of commercial trade deals between 1991 and 1995.

“During those profitable years, she hosted business figures from across the globe for ‘sea days’ onboard trade talks.”

But today a Downing Street spokesman bluntly rejected the idea. “What we’re trying to do as a Government is forge an ambitious plan to exploit the opportunities that the EU represents. The ambition is to be a global leader in free trade. There are a number of ways we can go about doing that but as far as I’m aware, the recommissioning of the Britannia is not on the agenda for that,” he said.

On Saturday, the Daily Telegraph launched the campaign calling for the yacht to be recommissioned. In an editorial the paper added: “Brexit, and the need to negotiate new trade deals, is calling the royal yacht back to service. A debate has begun over whether or not to return Britannia to sea or to commission a replacement.

“It has demonstrated its potential before: Britannia brought in an estimated £3bn in commercial deals between 1991 and 1995. Now that the UK is taking back control of its national trade arrangements from Brussels, engagement with countries such as Australia and Canada is primed to begin. Britain is rediscovering its ancient role as a seafaring, mercantile power. In that context, the symbolism of the royal yacht is striking.”

The royal yacht Britannia is currently a popular tourist attraction moored in the Port of Leith. Cared for by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, it is part of the National Historic Fleet. It attracts about 300,000 visitors each year. The steam-powered vessel sailed more than one million nautical miles during its 43-year tenure as the royal yacht