Bywire News exposed the hypocrisy of the government’s spending choices. “So Boris Johnson’s Royal Yacht will cost up to £250m – which is supposedly perfectly affordable. But completely eradicating rough sleeping would cost an extra £82m a year – and apparently we can’t find the money for it. Says everything you need to know about this government,” they said.
This Twitter user also chose to highlight Boris Johnson’s priorities, listing what the UK says it can’t afford, including feeding poor children and decent public sector pay, and what it can.
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And Dan White, a carer, had some moving words that brought home the effects of government policy. “All our support has been eroded by cuts,” he said. “I get £67 a week carers allowance for round the clock care. I’ve just bought another washing machine on the credit card.”
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Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, had some typically colourful remarks, accusing Johnson of “spaffing money up the wall”.
And Johnny Mercer, who resigned as defence minister in protest at the government’s approach to veterans in Northern Ireland, also put the boot in.
The new estimate for the yacht emerged at a so-called engagement day to discuss the new flagship yacht.Defence secretary Ben Wallace said: “Subject to working through bids, competition and technology, I aim to commission the ship for between £200m and £250m on a firm price.
“The competition will run until the end of October. I hope to announce the winners in December.”
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Labour announced it would scrap the plans if it came into power. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, called for the money to be spent on areas such as tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.
In May, analysis by The Big Issue found that at a previously estimated cost of £200m, the yacht budget could fund:
- A full term of free school meals for every child who needs them
- 6,000 new nurses (or 5,700 with a proper pay rise)
- A reversal of UK’s drastic foreign aid cuts
- £20 per week Universal Credit increase for a year for nearly 200,000 families
- And stop more than 140,000 people falling into homelessness
