Boaty McBoatface may not be name of new polar research vessel

Name overwhelmingly backed in poll but government would prefer something that 'captures the spirit of scientific endeavour'

It might be the democratic will of the people, but RRS Boaty McBoatface will probably never weigh anchor, the government has signalled.

The Natural Environment Research Council, which asked the public to vote on a name for its new 200m polar research vessel, confirmed on Sunday that the votes were overwhelmingly in favour of naming the state-of-the-art ship Boaty McBoatface. The suggestion received 124,109 votes, four times more than second-placed RRS Poppy-Mai, named after a 16-month-old girl with incurable cancer.