The hour has come for a new Britannia

Today the Mail rejoices that a crude attempt to scupper a scheme to replace the Royal Yacht Britannia has spectacularly backfired.

Opponents hoped to undermine it by leaking a letter from the Education  Secretary, in which he appeared to demand public money for the vessel.

But it now emerges that in fact Michael Gove was throwing his weight behind the imaginative scheme for a privately funded flagship, put forward by a consortium of marine industry heavyweights and backed by the Mail.

Majestic: The Mail supports the plan to replace the former Royal Yacht Britannia (pictured) with a new national flagship

And far from sinking this hugely  popular project, for which this paper has been campaigning since October, the bungled leak has rallied massive new support for it – including an endorsement from the Prime Minister, who describes it as ‘a truly inspiring initiative’.

It is also understood to have the  backing of senior members of the Royal  Family, including the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal.
Under the plans, drawn up to mark  the Queen’s six decades on the throne, Her Majesty would be presented with an elegant flagship, to be financed by private donations and run by a charitable trust.

Apart from serving as a floating trade mission (the last Britannia helped secure deals worth billions for Britain), the zero-carbon vessel would be used for scientific and educational purposes. Truly, this would be a Britannia for the modern age.

In his letter, Mr Gove points out that an occasion as rare as a Diamond Jubilee should have a longer-lasting legacy than the transient celebrations of previous, lesser anniversaries.

Bravo: Michael Gove is throwing his weight behind the imaginative scheme for a privately funded flagship

He argues, too, that an event of such national importance should not be  overshadowed by the Olympic Games, but should form an integral part of ‘this great year for our country’.

Yes, the scheme for a new Britannia may be romantic. But the Mail believes there could be no more fitting way for this  seafaring nation to mark its gratitude and respect for the woman who has been our greatest ambassador for 60 years.

Mr Gove’s Lib Dem and Labour critics, who seized on his misrepresented letter to make cheap political points, owe him an apology.
They should now join him and the Mail in backing a scheme whose hour has surely come.

Stay out of it, George

Again and again, the Coalition has assured British taxpayers that it won’t pile any more of our money into bailing out the euro.

So why does George Osborne now say he may ask Parliament to approve an increase in our contributions to the  International Monetary Fund, beyond the £40billion already agreed?

Listen: The Chancellor doesn't seem to be hearing the British people on the issue of increasing our contribution to the IMF

He knows as well as anyone that the French-led IMF will misuse any extra money to try to prop up the failed  political project of the eurozone, by  bailing out reckless German and French banks that have lent to basket-case nations such as Greece.

It is simply not Britain’s business to throw our good money after their bad.

Our deceitful banks

In a study that heaps further shame on the banking industry, consumer  watchdog Which? reports that overdraft charges are so complicated that the great majority of customers find them  impossible to understand or compare.

Isn’t the disgraceful truth that this is entirely deliberate – and that by making charges incomprehensible, the banks hope to extort the maximum from those who exceed their borrowing limits?

It’s too much to hope ministers can cure bankers of their greed. But the minimum they should demand of them is clarity.