The yacht celebrating Britain’s exit from the European Union. The wrath of the military and rivals – Corriere.it

The main Brexit ship is already in dire straits: they haven’t started building it. The new royal yacht Britannia is perhaps the most expensive project Boris Johnson: a ship that will have to sail the seas to promote Global Britain بريطانيا, now free from European ballast. Finally, offer Britain to leave the European Union, entrusts the ship’s heir to that of Britain. Which was decommissioned in 1997 and has seen Queen Elizabeth and members of the royal family on board several times.

But vanity costs: in this case 200 million pounds (about 250 million euros): and no one in the government intends to bear the expenses. Downing Street would have liked the Department of Defense to foot the bill, but the army had ruled out all their bad mood, for they were already suffering hard budget cuts; The Treasury keeps a distance, and even the hypothesis of using international cooperation funds is short-lived, given that even those funds have already been curtailed.

But it’s not just a matter of money: it’s the project itself that makes so many people turn their noses up. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clark, who now sits in the Conservative House of Lords but is highly critical of Johnson and Brexit, described the new “Britain” as ‘Stupid populist nonsense’: In Downing Street, he told BBC“They think waving the Union Jack and sending yachts and aircraft carriers around the world shows how great we are.” Retired Admiral Chris Barry has Compare the ship, whose drawings have been published by the government, with the boat of the Russian oligarch“I won’t exaggerate these things,” he commented. Stephen Payne, ocean liner designer, was more sensitive: The Britannia reminds him of a “50s fishing boat.”

The name was also the subject of controversy: Boris initially wanted to name him after Prince Philip, but Buckingham Palace immediately torpedoed the idea. Construction of the Brexit flagship ship is expected to begin next year and the yacht will enter service within four yearsMe: “It would be the first ship of this type in the world – boasted about Johnson – and would reflect the burgeoning position of the United Kingdom as a large and independent merchant marine nation.” The new yacht, which is expected to remain in service for thirty years, will be used to host high-level trade negotiations and touring exhibitions around the world for Promoting British interests. According to Downing Street, a typical itinerary for a new ‘Britannia’ could include docking at a port in a country the prime minister is visiting to host parallel discussions between local and British businessmen, or hosting trade fairs selling British products in emerging markets. , or offer a place for ministerial summits.