I wonder what the media will make of it
Not a lot - because the Government will point out that Puma isn't currently in Afghan, so its loss won't be felt by those deployed, and they will also point out that the RAF has a number of Chinooks on order. Seeing as we (the supposed experts!) can't agree on the ideal number and size of SH platforms, I don't imagine that the cash-strapped public will spend too much time arguing with the "but there will be stacks of Chinooks so it'll be fine" logic.