BORIS Johnson is investigating recommissioning the Royal Yacht Britannia as a “great symbol of global Britain”, The Sun can reveal.

The Queen’s private yacht was decommissioned in 1997, but now senior Tories want to bring it back as a floating Embassy to drum up post-Brexit trade around the world.

7 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is interested in the idea of relaunching the Royal Yacht Britannia Credit: Fame Flynet

7 If the plan to bring the Royal Yacht Britannia back into service comes off it would be relaunched at no cost to the taxpayer Credit: Alamy

Conservative MP Jake Berry said: “In her latter years Britannia is estimated to have brought in £3 billion of commercial trade deals between 1991 and 1995.

“During those profitable years, she hosted business figures from across the globe for ‘sea days’ — on board trade talks.”

Mr Berry is calling a debate in Parliament on the issue next month, and has already presented his plans to the Foreign Secretary.

FCO sources have confirmed that they are looking into it, and a friend of Mr Johnson told The Sun: “Boris is certainly intrigued by the idea Jake has floated.

“Britannia is a great symbol of global Britain.”

7 Jake Berry says his Royal Yacht Britannia project could bring in billions of pounds worth of trade deals for Great Britain Credit: PA Archive

However Britannia is currently moored in the Port of Leith, Scotland as a popular visitor attraction after 40 years of service to the Royal Family.

It is part of the National Historic Fleet and cared for by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.

Pals of the Foreign Secretary say they are currently looking at the plans “in more detail” and conducting a feasibility study.

The Royal Yacht would be relaunched through private donations with no cost to the taxpayer, under the proposed plans.

7 The Royal Yacht Britannia is now a tourist attraction after 40 years of service to the Royal Family Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd

7 Credit: Blackboard Publishing

Her Majesty The Queen's Bedroom on board The Royal Yacht Britannia

7 The Queen's private yacht was decommissioned in 1997 but now senior Tories want to bring it back as a floating embassy Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd

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If it is not possible to recommission the old vessel — which sailed more than a million miles — contingency plans would see the Queen gifted a new yacht.

In 2012 ex-PM David Cameron backed the idea of a new Royal yacht.

The plan was the brainchild of Rear Admiral David Bawtree and would have cost £60 million.

At the time £10 million was pledged by wealthy Canadian financiers and an unnamed £5m private donation.

Mr Berry told The Sun: “Recommissioning Britannia will undoubtedly be denounced as a vanity project by naysayers, but it could bring in billions of pounds’ worth of trade deals for post Brexit Britain.”

7 Boris Johnson is very interested in Jake Berry's idea and a feasibility study is being carried out to see whether to take it forward Credit: London News Pictures Ltd

“On one commercial ‘sea day’, held on board in the Bay of Naples in 1980, £500 million of business was secured on behalf of the City of London.”

“A Royal invitation to conduct business aboard the most exclusive yacht in the world made it hard for even the most successful business people to resist.”

He added: “Bringing back Britannia would be a powerful and symbolic message to the world.”

MPs will debate the “reintroduction of the Royal Yacht Britannia for the purpose of international trade” on Tuesday 11 October.

The life and times of the Royal Yacht Britannia: From 1953 to 2016 16 April 1953: Britannia was launched from John Brown’s Shipyard in Clydebank by HM The Queen. 11 January 1954: HMY Britannia commissioned into the Royal Navy. 1954 - 1997: Sailed on 696 foreign visits and 272 visits in British waters racking up 1,087,623 nautical miles. 1 July 1997: Last trip sailing Prince Charles home after handing back Hong Kong to the Chinese. 20 October 1997: HMY Britannia left Portsmouth on her farewell tour around the UK. 11 December 1997: Decommissioned by New Labour government. May 1998 - 2016: Docked in Edinburgh as a tourist attraction.