Doing anything to acquire air defence would mean admitting that the decision to retire the Sea Harrier prematurely was wrong, and admitting you're wrong is just not done in politics.
Would I be right in thinking that air attack (using whatever type of weapon) was possibly the most common cause of both warships and merchant ships being attacked, damaged or sunk since World War Two - including friendly fire (sic), allied air attacks against enemy vessels, and conflicts not involving the west?