Ben Wallace told the House of Commons that the competition to build the £ 200 million ship ended before the Chancellor's statement on November 17.
A controversial plan to build a new royal yacht has been scrapped, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed. The successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is expected to cost around £ 200 million, was announced by Boris Johnson in May 2021.
The flagship was to be named after the late Prince Philip and host trade fairs, ministerial summits and diplomatic talks as the UK sought to forge links and increase exports. But speaking in the House of Commons, Mr. Wallace, whose department was to fund the project, told lawmakers that he was instead prioritizing the acquisition of the multi-role ocean surveillance vessel (MROSS).
"In the face of Russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine and Putin's reckless violation of international agreements designed to maintain world order, it is right that we prioritize the provision of capabilities that safeguard our national infrastructure, "he said. Construction of the multi-million dollar ship has come under criticism from lawmakers and colleagues as to whether it was worth it, especially after public coffers were cut during the COVID pandemic.
Last year, the Commons Defense Committee warned that "there was no evidence of the benefit for the Royal Navy of acquiring the national flagship" and that the price, as well as the operating costs, would increase the pressure on the service. Its cancellation comes ahead of an autumn statement on November 17, in which new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are expected to announce a series of spending cuts to fill the £ 60 billion fiscal black hole in government finances. .
Both are silent about what other measures will be introduced and whether commitments such as the triple block on pensions will be kept. But both have promised the ads will be "compassionate" for those most in need.
Wallace told lawmakers that he would hold talks with Sunak and Hunt this week in an effort to raise funds to "protect our current military plans from inflation" in the next statement. The fiscal event follows a tumultuous period under Liz Truss, when her disastrous September mini-budget sent markets into a spiral and unfunded spending that promises to cut taxes left large gaps in the Treasury's balance sheet.