BILLIONAIRE businessman Jim McColl says an ambitious bid to bring the QE2 to Greenock CAN pay off.

Mr McColl, right, has voiced support for the campaign in an exclusive interview with the Telegraph — while Greenock businessmen Sandy and James Easdale, centre, and Euromillions winners Colin and Chris Weir, below, have also declared their enthusiasm for the idea.

Ferguson’s shipyard owner Mr McColl told the Tele the proposal to relocate the iconic Clyde-built vessel from Dubai is ‘absolutely achievable’.

The idea was first floated by community activist John Houston and has been backed by local politicians and Inverclyde Council, who are establishing contact with the authorities in Dubai to ascertain the position.

Mr McColl — who rescued Ferguson’s from the scrapheap in September last year and rapidly transformed the business — said: “I think absolutely it’s achievable if there’s enough determination and a good plan there.

“But you need to have a clear vision and plan of what you want to do with it.

“It would be great if it could happen because that’s bringing back a ship to the Clyde that was built here.

“It’s quite a striking vessel with a fantastic heritage and I think it could — with the proper plan — really help with the local economy.” The businessman is keen on the idea of transforming the QE2 into a conference centre and thinks it could also be used for educational purposes.

For the time being the Clyde Blowers Capital chief says it is all hands on deck at his Port shipyard as its dramatic rebirth continues.

But Mr McColl — one of Scotland’s wealthiest businessmen — says he would be willing to get involved in the QE2 campaign when the time is right.

He told the Tele: “That’s (Ferguson’s) where we will be pushing a lot of our cash at the moment and I think after that’s all done and we’ve got the workload in the yard we’d be looking to step up our support more locally from the business there and at that time I’m sure we could look at getting involved in a project like bringing the QE2 back.

“I don’t think it’s something we could get involved in just now.

“Once the shipyard is up and running at full pelt we would then be in a position to support it from that business.

“But we probably wouldn’t be in a position to support it from the business there, I would think, for a couple of years.

“It’s certainly a project we would be keen to find a way to support locally at the right time.” McGill’s owners Sandy and James Easdale — who also launched a bid to save Ferguson’s but withdrew in favour of Mr McColl — are also keen on the idea.

Their spokesman, Jack Irvine, said: “Sandy and James are always interested in anything that brings jobs, tourism and prosperity to Greenock and if the QE2 project makes business sense then they will be interested.” The Tele also contacted Euromillions winners Colin and Chris Weir, who have links to Greenock, about whether they would be interested in offering their support.

In the wake of their record £161m win four years ago, the Largs couple set up the Weir Charitable Trust.

The organisation is specifically for small charities, community-based groups and local projects but a spokeswoman for the trust refused to rule out the lottery winners from getting involved, saying ‘every application submitted is given careful consideration’.