One assumes that in the 18 months since David Cameron and CAS both went on record as saying that the C model was more capable that an amount of money has been spent 'de-VSTOL-ing' the QECV design and CV-ing it.
I am also going to assume that there would be a cost associated with putting it all back to where it was 18 months ago, or at least making it look like it would do now had that decision not been made and taken.
So there really can't be a 'spend nothing' option here. To march on the bearing will cost the ludicrous figures (still drops in oceans compared to some projects) we have all become familiar with (and sceptical of) but has to be cheaper in the long term. To re-brigade back to VSTOL will not only mean Cameron saying he was wrong, that SDSR was wrong, that Labour was right etc etc. It will also mean that his government has delayed UK Maritime Strike and made it more expensive for no good reason.
We've all heard 1.7 Billion or similar or the upgrade, does anyone have a figure as to how much a down grade will now cost?