THE Royal Yacht Britannia was swept away in 1997 by New Labour, which neither understood nor cared about her significance.
Either way, it was, in my view, a short-sighted error.
Between 1991 and 1995, Britannia brought over £3 billion in trade to the UK.
And, by flying the flag again, Britannia could have a significant role to play in our prosperity after Brexit.
New trade deals will need to be negotiated and signed and what better launch-pad could there be than a floating one – and Royal to boot.
The royal yacht also served as a potent symbol of Britain, projecting power, influence and style in a manner that nothing else could.
Invitations to dine on board with the Monarch were always highly prized.
But the value of Britannia to Ministers, ambassadors and businesses, though less well known, was immense.
Former Foreign Secretary William Hague has described queues of diplomats and dignitaries “pouring up the gangplank” on the eve of the handover of Hong Kong to China.
And almost no one declined a dinner he hosted as Welsh Secretary, with American plutocrats “re-routing their private jets” to get there, “if it killed them”.
Had it been held in a hotel, he says, no one would have attended.
For the Queen and her family, the royal yacht was a floating home away from home when on duty abroad.
Of course, there is the cost and it’s questionable whether Britannia, currently a tourist attraction in Scotland, could ever be recommissioned.
I suspect she could not.
That would mean building a new one with the cost being shared between Government departments.
Some will say this would be an extravagance.
I disagree.
Where better to showcase the UK than on our royal yacht.