With an extra £100 million added to the cost of Boris’s planned “trade yacht” in just one week, Dominic Raab had the unenviable task of justifying the hefty price tag on this morning’s media round. Speaking with Nick Ferrari on LBC, Raab said:

“It’s easy to underestimate the work that the Royals do […] the soft power they yield on our behalf, and we consistently under-estimate what they do…

The investment is worth it if we can make sure that it’s expanding our influence and reach overseas, creating jobs for the UK, extending our soft power, being a force for good in the world. All of those things come together, and a yacht can really boost our ability to do all of those things…”

This is exactly what we were told would justify the £7.6 billion Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales aircraft carriers – which have the advantage of combining hard and soft power. Given the Royals themselves apparently won’t even use the yacht, Guido still has a few questions over just how valuable it’ll will be…