ONB,
What the BAE bloke was probably referring to was the Terms Of Business Agreement (TOBA) that covers the CVF ships: a certain amount of work for the design teams and the yards.
AFAIK, it declines over time, and it leaves BAE with a big hole to fill if the Govt only meets the letter - which is presumably what this bloke is concerned about.
One credible plan seemed to be to bin carrier, and use the TOBA to build the MARS Fleet Tankers in UK (vice South Korea or Italy) and then follow it with T26 frigates (nee Future Surface Combatant-C / FSC-C), which would result in more ships the RN needs and two fewer that it cannot protect or put an airwing on.
As hard as it is for Fishead types, the RN could be better served over the medium term by getting more FF/DD than CVF. Not ideal, but then this is a Defence Review....
S41