Well, for starters Harrier was scheduled to retire in 2019 and would have struggled to get even that far given the condition of the fleet post-HERRICK, which as I understand it was one of the reasons for it being cut in preference to Tornado (which at the time was due to go in 2025). MRA4 was unairworthy with no realistically affordable route to recovery. And I think you are also overestimating the influence of politicians on certain trends in Whitehall: for instance I suspect the so-called 'Heywood efficiencies', named for the Cabinet Secretary, would have gone through in 2015 regardless of which lot were in power. Reducing current "spending", ie wages, maintenance and support costs, has been on the Whitehall agenda ever since a certain G. Brown implemented resource accounting and budgeting. Labour liked to "invest" in big capital projects like the carriers but was almost as averse as the Tories to "spending" on in-service capabilities, because "spending" money is the sort needed for benefits and public sector wages. It's no coincidence that our combat aircraft fleets started dwindling in number soon after that accounting change.
Last edited by Easy Street; 12th Sep 2020 at 07:17.