The British were probably some of the best aircraft designers and builders in the world. Unfortunately, we suffered from government interference in every direction. The government were the specifiers (even when they weren't the customer), the customers, the certification authority and corrupt. Many had also been "got at" by the Americans (and don't forget which bunch of goons gave the Soviets five of the very latest jet engines from Rolls Royce - just so they had something to put in the MIG 15) and had NFI about how a high tech industry should be run. A bit like the current lot really. And, despite that, the Comet, Britannia, VC10, Concorde, Trident, BAC 1-11 were designed, built and flown for many years. We should be proud of what they did do.
We should also take lessons from the French on how to protect our own industries.