I don't have any pearls of wisdom or insider knowledge to offer here so forgive me while I vent my spleen in a possibly-uninformed way...
How on earth can converting the carriers to CATOBAR cost £2bn? The possibility of converting the carriers at a later stage in their life had been discussed several years ago, so one would think there would have been at least a 'nod' to possible conversion in the basic design. Given that a whole Type 45 destroyer costs 'only' £1bn all-in - and the biggest liners in the world come in around the £0.75bn mark - the £2bn quote is a
outrage. If it is true, then BAE should be ashamed of themselves for taking such ridiculous advantage of their captive market - some degree of premium is inevitable but this is just obscene! If this is the price of having an "indigenous defence capability" then I'm not entirely convinced it's worth it...
Rant over.