I remember we had the same discussion over another article in the Sunday Times (if I recall) a few years back that claimed that the F-35 had been canned - what followed? Contracts for the IOT&E F-35s were signed and then it was announced that there wouldn't be a decision over the production F-35 buy until 2014 when the start of multi-year buys is/was supposed to take place. Okay the government changed and the money isn't there (and it wasn't then), but still. Also, Tom Burbage was quoted in the FT last week as saying that he had not been informed that the UK was looking at anything else or that it was planning as most expect to reduce its buy.
You'd think though that they are looking at something else now. Surely, this coalition government wouldn't be mad enough when this strategic defence review is published in October is to try to justify to the public and the armed forces cuts, redundancies, base closures, programme cancellations, scrapping Tornado fleets, etc and then several pages later state the need and commit to buying 138 new jets at big expense even if they are bought over a 15-20 year period, or 66 over a shorter period if they are still going to cost more than anything else when it appears that there are now other serious options. Or would it?