Michael Gove is the first senior cabinet minister to back a new national flagship since plans were shelved last year. Photo: Paul Grover for The Telegraph. Choppers politics podcast 070723
Michael Gove has backed plans to replace the Royal Yacht Britannia, which will act as a floating embassy and secure trade deals, after the cost-of-living crisis has passed.
Leveling The Secretary of State also opposed councils that allow employees to work four days a week and supported new rural garden cities to ease the housing crisis.
Mr Gove became the first senior cabinet minister to support the new the national flagship since plans enthusiastically championed by Boris Johnson when he was prime minister were shelved by Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace last fall.
The project was put on hold when the government decided to use funds to pay for two new ships to protect Britain's submarine Internet cables connecting the United States to the UK.
The flagship was seen as a replacement for the Britannia, which was decommissioned by Labor in 1997 and is now one of the top tourist attractions in the UK.
Speaking on the latest Chopper's Politics podcast, which you can listen to on the player above, Mr Gove said he thought the UK should have a replacement royal yacht, but “now is not the time.”
A concept of what the replacement for the royal yacht Britannia will look like. Photo: Vitruvius Yachts/SWNS
He said: «I really think the principle of having a national flagship that can act as a way to project our soft power, that can act as a floating embassy to encourage trade and investment, that can also be used, as suggested in the past, to provide young people amazing learning opportunities… I think there's a lot going on here.
“As long as the taxpayer doesn't pay, I think it's a good idea. But at the moment, with so many other priorities that we need to address, I would put it off for another day.”
Would you support replacing the royal yacht Britannia? Poll
In April, Lord Johnson of Lainston, Minister for Investment, said he was open to the idea of a privately funded national flagship to help secure trade deals for the UK.
He told The Telegraph. : «I'm happy to encourage big ideas and ambitions that help sell the huge benefits of trading with and investing in the UK.»
Jan Maiden, a millionaire former advertising mogul who has championed a replacement for the Britannia for the past 25 years, previously told The Telegraph he could raise private funds for a new flagship if he was sure of government support.
Michael Gove said a warm farewell to Christopher Hope of The Telegraph. Photo: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
Also on the podcast, Mr. Gove said the boards had to make sure that staff worked the five-day week.
He said: “Just recently, the South Cambridgeshire District Council adopted a four-day week. I just think it's wrong when the people who pay municipal taxpayers for local services see the Liberal Democrat council basically relax on the oars.»
He added that Lee Rowley, one of his junior ministers, «told them where to get off.»
Mr Gove also denied that he «surrendered for housing purposes» in England, as critics claimed.
He insisted: «We said that if the local authorities recognize that either they will have to sacrifice the green belt, or they will have to lose an area of u200bu200boutstanding natural beauty, then they can take this into account in their plan.»
«But no local government cannot avoid building houses. And if the local authorities don't accept the plans, then there will be teeth to ensure the construction of houses.'
What about his support for new garden cities to avoid inappropriate new settlements on the outskirts of towns and villages? «Yes. Completely… This is the future,» he said.
Boris «deserves to be judged comprehensively»
Mr. Gove was generous to Mr. Johnson, who fired him when his administration collapsed last summer.
“I worked alongside Boris when he was prime minister and there is no shortage of people standing in line to criticize him. I think that some of these criticisms have some basis, but I don’t want to get in this line,” he added.
“The fact is that Boris inspires loyalty among his supporters, that sometimes makes them blind to desire one or two of his faults, and among his detractors causes a feeling of anger, which also means that they ignore his virtues.
«He deserves to be judged in turn.»
Listen to Christopher Hope's interview with Michael Gove, Sir Jacob Rhys-Mogg, Sir Geoffrey Cox and comedian Matt Ford on the channel the last ever Chopper's Politics podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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