Rishi Sunak hopes a barge that carried the body of Winston Churchill following his state funeral can be kept in the UK.

The Havengore, first launched in 1956, has been put on sale to international bidders, raising concerns it could be taken overseas and used as a pleasure boat.

The vessel was used to transport Churchill’s body along the Thames following his funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1965.

The barge carried the body on the Thames through London from Tower Pier to Festival Pier, before it was transferred to a train to be taken to its final resting place in Bladon, Oxfordshire.

The vessel recreated the journey in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the funeral.

It also played a prominent role in the 2012 Thames celebration to mark the late Queen’s diamond jubilee.

No 10 hopes a British buyer can be found to save the vessel for the nation.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “When it comes to preserving our heritage, the Prime Minister strongly believes the history of remarkable British heroes like Churchill should remain in our public spaces and he remains hopeful the vessel can remain in Britain.”

He added: “We will keep a close eye on the progress of the sale and remain hopeful that a UK buyer will step forward.”

The Mail on Sunday reported that Chris Ryland, 75, bought the vessel for £780,000 in 2006, and it is now on sale for £800,000 – down from the £2 million asking price initially suggested by a yacht broker.

He told the newspaper: “I’ve been trying to sell her for 18 months, but I haven’t been able to find a buyer in Britain. It’s got to the point where I’ve had to put her on the international market.”

If the barge is sold overseas, the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest could step in to place a temporary bar on it being taken abroad, to allow more time for a UK buyer to be found.