POLITICIANS are to quiz research bosses on the public competition to name a new polar vessel which saw Boaty McBoatface emerge as the runaway winner.

The name RRS Boaty McBoatface topped the poll staged by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to name its £200 million research vessel with more than 124,000 votes, more than three times its nearest rival.

But the final decision on the name lies with Science Minister Jo Johnson who has hinted he does not favour the moniker chosen in the internet poll - prompting questions over whether a "Boaty McVolte-face" is imminent.

As part of its inquiry into science communication, the parliamentary Science and Technology Committee will quiz NERC bosses about the competition, their public engagement strategy and the science the polar research vessel will undertake.

Committee chairwoman Nicola Blackwood said: "Hundreds of thousands of people took part in NERC's competition to name a new polar research vessel.

"And they'll want to know whether there's going to be a 'Boaty McVolte-face' on the name.

"My committee wants to explore this as an example of science communication. Was it a triumph of public engagement or a PR disaster?

"We'll also want to know how NERC intends to build on the mass coverage they've attracted and engage people with the vital polar science that Boaty will be enabling."

RRS Boaty McBoatface was the clear winner of the "name our ship" competition, garnering 124,109 votes, ahead of RRS Poppy-Mai - named after a 16-month-old girl with terminal cancer - which came second with 34,371 votes.

They were followed by the more conventional RRS Henry Worsley, which commemorates the Antarctic explorer, with 15,231 votes; RRS It's Bloody Cold Here with 10,679 votes, and RRS David Attenborough with 10,284 votes.

Do you think the vessel should stick with the name Boaty McBoatface?

Should the new polar vessel be called Boaty McBoatface?
Yes it should
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