British MPs have called for a new lottery to come up with the funds to pay for the new Royal Yacht Britannia. The goal of the ship will be to help “showcase” the United Kingdom following Brexit.

Original Royal Yacht Britannia Decommissioned in 1997

The original Royal Yacht Britannia had been used by the Queen and the Royal family for many travels around the world. It was in service for four decades during which time it travelled more than one million miles at sea, participating in 968 official visits.
In 1997, Tony Blair announced that repairs to the ship would be too costly, causing it to be decommissioned. When the Queen completed her final voyage on the ship, she shed a tear as she said goodbye to it.

Time for a New Yacht

Fifty Tory MPs have now written to Theresa May’s cabinet ministers, encouraging them to launch a new lottery for the purpose of using public money to raise funds for a new yacht. The price tag on a new Royal Yacht Britannia is a hefty £120 million. The letter stated that using a lottery game to raise the funds would make it possible for the British people to feel “the pride of having a stake” in the new ship.

They stated that the yacht would also serve a greater purpose, as it would “showcase the best of British business and project our humanitarian role across the globe” following Brexit. The letter continued on, saying “As we leave the European Union, there has never been a better time to consider how Britain projects herself on the world stage.”

“A New Symbol of Global Britain”

The letter called the new Royal Yacht Britannia “a new symbol of global Britain” which would be both designed and built within the United Kingdom in order to show off the best of the UK’s industry and shipbuilding.
In that sense, it could become a platform encouraging trade with the country. The letter suggested that the mere existence of the yacht could draw improved trade to Great Britain. Furthermore, it would “right the wrong” which occurred when the last yacht was decommissioned.