<<I spent the last 10 years of my RAF service trying to convince every senior officer I could buttonhole that we didn’t need another Lightning replacement>>
Which is why they
were the last 10 years of your service...
Seriously... The reason that it looks as if the RAF is buying agile fighters is that, today, everyone buys the theory that (I think) Northrop first formulated in the late 60s, early 70s, to wit:
(1) You can change an agile jet into a bomber by loading it with bombs and fuel, reducing its thrust/weight ratio and increasing its wing loading and range. That's the idea behind an F-16E/F, a Rafale or an Su-34.
(2) You can't do the opposite. Tonka F.3... F-111B... I rest my case, melud.