BBC Linky
According to the above link (and I know it's Peston), the aircraft will be taken delivery of, and potentially stored.
If that's the case, I wonder if there's an element of "be seen to make the cuts from a financial standpoint", only for some of the more controversial elements to be back-peddled later.
Same for the F-35C. I wonder if Mr MOD has been to see my neighbors down the road in Marietta yet, asking if we can even have the F35C? How much ka-ka are we in after binning F-35B?
It may yet be that the approach is made to Lockheed, and they say "sod off. F-35B or nothing". In which case, Mr MOD may catch a flight to Chicago to enquire if the Super Hornets were still available, thus saving a boatload of cash.