I posted on this last night but it seems to have mysteriously disappeared! Anyway, if I was on the Typhoon Force I’d be miffed at the portrayal of Lightning as something for which Valley grads are “selected”, leaving the distinct impression that Typhoon is second-best in terms of standards irrespective of students’ personal preferences. Both aircraft are single-seat multi-role, and there has been huge investment in making F35B STOVL handling a far more straightforward proposition than Harrier. There is indeed an argument that the older platform with poorer ergonomics, displays and sensor fusion actually places heavier demands on its pilots.
I’d say it was likely that the intensely political balance between RAF and RN manning of the Lightning Force plays at least a smidgen of a role in these decisions. Although you would like to think they could manage that by inputting students to Valley in the correct ratio...