A plan to build a new national flagship has been scrapped as part of a squeeze on government spending. The £250million scheme would have created a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997.
The concept was sunk by Rishi Sunak’s administration as Whitehall braced for cuts in the November 17 autumn statement by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. It 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.
