Tax payers will be pushing the boat out

The rest of us in the real world know what will happen when there is a shortfall between private funding and escalating running costs, security, refurbishment, etc, oh yes, as ever it will be the hard pressed tax payer who foots the bill.

Far from being a fitting present for the Queen’s service to the country, the royal yacht would be used for decades to come by future generations of the royal family irrespective of their value to the nation.

We all know of Prince Andrew’s love for lounging about on luxury yachts attended to by a bevy of beauties.

Certainly you can question the morality of some of our MPs, but at least you can vote them out every five years.

Also let’s not be so foolish to believe private funding will be given without expectation of getting something in return, the murky world of political lobbying and the ‘cash for honours’ scandal should have taught us that painful lesson.

Just as worrying is the unedifying sight of two government ministers (Messrs Gove and Willetts) devoting their energies on this folly instead of sorting out the education system - Mr Cameron please tell your ministers to concentrate on their tax payer funded day jobs and stop messing about with royal rafts.

At a time when child benefit payments are about to be withdrawn from millions of families, it seems inconceivable that the government should seek to furnish the multi-millionaire royals with a yacht.

Clive Bishop

Asten Fields, Battle