Torpy was quoted as using the same 123 aircraft figure by the Daily Telegraph, whose journos made the same assumptions and similarly compared it to the figure of 232.
I made enquiries of the MoD and was told that Torpy had said no such thing, that he had never said that we required 'half the number' and that his figure of 123 was for the forward fleet, and thus marked a modest reduction from 137 to 123 aircraft.
As others have already pointed out, the UK already has more than 123 aircraft on order. In fact the number is 160 aircraft. There are 53 Tranche 1, (including the MAFT and two IPAs, and one ISPA - so 49 for the RAF), 67 Tranche 2 (91 minus the 24 Saudi diverts), with 40 more to follow in Tranche 3A.
Typically, the Times are wrong in the detail. The 24 sold to the Saudis are in Tranche 2, and are not being replaced as planned. All 40 T3A jets will go to the RAF.
And officially, T3B for 48 further aircraft has not been cancelled.
What is increasingly clear is that we will have just five squadrons.