Gove’s Royal yacht proposal in full

This morning’s Guardian scoop about Michael Gove’s suggestion that the nation should present the Queen with a new Royal yacht for the Jubilee is the talk of Westminster. But the full correspondence indicates that Gove was not proposing any taxpayer funding for a new Britannia.
 
Gove refers to ‘David Willetts’s excellent suggestion for a Royal Yacht’. This proposal was made in a letter from Willetts to the Prime Minister on the 5th September, which was copied to various colleagues. Willetts writes that Rear Admiral Bawtree sees The Future Ship Project for the 21st Century ‘as a potential replacement for the Royal Yacht Britannia’.
 
Willetts says that ‘The proposed ship, which will be privately funded with no government subsidy, is to be made available for trade and business events’ as well as for scientific and educational work. He also says that Bawtree has the support of Prince Charles and Princess Anne for the project.
 
A week later, Gove followed up with a letter in support of Willetts’ idea. The letter argues that ‘approving this ship to become a royal yacht would be an excellent way to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.’ But Gove goes on to say, ‘I agree, of course, that we should be clear that no public funding is available for the project, as this would not be appropriate in the current financial climate.’
 
There then follows, on the 17th December, a letter from Gove to Clegg — copied to a whole slew of ministers, including many who had not seen the original correspondence — which says that his suggestion for something to mark the occasion ‘would be a gift from the nation to Her Majesty; thinking about, for example, David Willett’s excellent suggestion for a Royal Yacht’.