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National Flagship

On 30 May 2021 the UK Prime Minister announced a new National Flagship for the UK. This Flagship will give British businesses a new global platform to promote their products. The ship, the first of its kind to be built and commissioned by the UK, will boost British trade and drive investment into our economy.

The Prime Minister said: "This new national flagship will be the first vessel of its kind in the world, reflecting the UK’s burgeoning status as a great, independent maritime trading nation. Every aspect of the ship, from its build to the businesses it showcases on board, will represent and promote the best of British – a clear and powerful symbol of our commitment to be an active player on the world stage."

As well as promoting trade, it is expected that the flagship will play an important role in achieving the UK’s foreign policy and security objectives, including by hosting summits and other diplomatic talks. The charm of the new Britannia is clear. With the UK keen to make trade deals globally, it could send both to distant ports a visual expression of the global UK that Mr Johnson says grew out of Brexit. But the project, which has also been protected. Supporters of the Tory Journal The Daily Telegraph, caught up in the pesky arithmetic of public finance. The Johnson government is already breaking its budget to tackle the economic scourge of the epidemic. He is spending billions of pounds on expensive projects such as high-speed rail links, as part of Mr Johson's commitment to 'level' inequality between the country's north and its prosperous south.

The vessel will be used to host high level trade negotiations and trade shows and will sail all over the world promoting British interests. A typical six month itinerary for the flagship might include docking at a port in a country where a British Prime Ministerial visit is taking place to accommodate parallel discussions between British and local businesses, hosting trade fairs to sell British products to an emerging market and providing the venue for an international ministerial summit or major trade negotiations between the UK and another government.

The ship, the name of which will be announced in due course, will be the first national flagship since 1997 when the HMY Britannia was decommissioned. However, its role will be distinct from that of any previous national flagship, reflecting the UK’s new status as an independent trading nation and helping us to seize the opportunities that status presents. As well as being a resource for British firms looking to export globally, the ship will also be a tangible manifestation of British ingenuity and shipbuilding expertise.

The Government’s intention is to build the ship in the UK. This will create jobs, help drive a renaissance in the UK’s shipbuilding industry and showcase the best of British engineering around the world. As well as promoting trade, it is expected that the flagship will play an important role in achieving the UK’s foreign policy and security objectives, including by hosting summits and other diplomatic talks.

Construction of the ship is expected to begin as soon as 2022 and the ship would enter service within four years. The tendering process for the design and construction of the ship had an emphasis on building a vessel which reflects British design expertise and the latest innovations in green technology. The ship will be crewed by the Royal Navy and is expected to be in service for around 30 years. The ship will be built in the UK, the design will be open to international competition to ensure that we can procure a world class design.

Costs of 200 million pounds for the construction of the ship will be confirmed following the completion of a competitive tendering process. The design of the national flagship will be conducted in 2 stages, with the expected dates as follows: Award of contract for stage 1 design 27/09/2021 Award of contract for stage 2 design 24/12/2021 Award of contract for build 21/04/2022.

The proposed ship for Prime Minister Boris Johnson will serve as a symbol of the global UK. Critics say it is a poorly designed boondogal. The plans looked like "Oligarch's boat." A big Tory called it a "waste of time, stupid democratic nonsense".

"This is a symptom," Kenneth Clark, a former Conservative party chancellor and ex-Chancellor, told the BBC. "Two hundred million pounds will not be a problem. But it shows there are #10 people who think there's free money and how powerful we are when it comes to operating Union Jacks and sending boats and aircraft carriers around the world."

“It’s not a“ silver bullet” in the sense that if you build a royal boat your economy doubles overnight,” Mr. Johnstone-Bryden said. Embassies or hotels do not have the same appeal of exceptions. He compared Britain's prestige. For Air Force One. In a way that represents the United States' global reach and strength with the President's personalized blue and white 7,747, the Royal Yacht pays homage to the mighty who have made up the maritime history of Great Britain.

"I am convinced that it would be unthinkable for many Americans to take back Air Force One without replacing it. The truth is that Britain has done much better without Britain. According to the Daily Mail, the queen's husband Prince Philip opposed the proposal to have a new ship, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021. A former naval officer, Duke was involved in the design of the original Britannia. Under the influence of Prince Charles, the royal family became sensitive to the performance of property, especially when they spent public money. The Queen is no longer traveling abroad, so the yacht was to be used by her heir, Charles and her son, Prnce William, who has no emotional connection to Britannia. Some think the whole concept of the royal ship is outdated at a time when Britain is entering into complex bilateral trade agreements with Australia, the United States and other countries.

Labour's shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Bridget Phillipson, said if the ship is going to be part of a genuine plan for Britain's future, the government "must set out clearly how it will boost trade, jobs and growth in every corner of our country". She said if the flagship is built, it should be made in the UK to support jobs in shipyards and there must be "a real focus on value for money at every stage". "Right now our country faces huge challenges, and there's no sign the government has a plan for the recovery. We want to see public money used for targeted investment in a green economic recovery, resources for our NHS, and supporting families to succeed," she said.

The UK on 28 July 2021 called for bids from British shipbuilders for the construction of its new national flagship. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking during the National Flagship Engagement Day event in historic Greenwich, England, brushed off criticism saying the vessel will help Britain to show off around the world. The competition for the construction bids will run till October being overseen by the Ministry of Defense, which issued the formal invitation to tender. By positioning the ship as a military vessel, the government has managed to get around rules requiring that the bidding be opened to the international shipbuilding community. The vessel will officially be part of the navy and will be crewed by 80 Royal Navy sailors.

The vessel was originally projected in 2019 to cost £120 million ($167 million). The cost estimates have now risen to between £200 and £250 million ($270 and $350 million) turning the vessel into a political issue. Critics are calling the ship a distraction and waste of British taxpayers’ money with the Labour Party threatening to scrap the project, while Johnson said it will be a symbol of national pride and will be used to attract foreign investment.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking at the National Flagship Engagement Day 28 July 2021, said : "Subject to working through bids, competition and technology, I aim to commission the ship for between £200 and £250 million on a firm price. The competition will run until the end of October. I hope to announce the winners in December. To begin construction in a British shipyard as early as next year and have a ship in the water by 2024 or 2025."