Britain's coalition government poured cold water on suggestions from a minister that taxpayers should fund a new royal yacht for Queen Elizabeth to mark her 60th year on the throne despite Britons dealing with severe austerity measures themselves. The queen bade a sad farewell to the royal family's much-loved yacht Britannia in 1997 and Education Secretary Michael Gove recommended replacing it as a significant gesture to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, the Guardian newspaper reported. “My suggestion would be a gift from the nation to her majesty; thinking about (Universities Minister) David Willetts' excellent suggestion of a royal yacht, and something tangible to commemorate this momentous occasion,” the paper quoted his letter as saying. The letter did make reference to Britain's current economic woes, but added that despite “and perhaps because of the austere times”, the Jubilee celebrations should be greater than any that had gone before. However, his idea was immediately scuppered by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and his Liberal Democrat deputy Nick Clegg. “I don't think this would be an appropriate use of public money given the state of the nation's finances,” Cameron's spokesman told reporters. Clegg joked the issue would be about “the haves, and the have yachts”.
