S-D - I'm well aware of the power of rumour. I find it difficult to believe that having scrubbed Nimrod, made public announcements that the Army will move to Kinloss, then publicly announcing that an MPA requirement is not funded, that SofS is going to change his tune.
The idea that the RAF is somehow magically planning to deliver 24 MPA, to two bases (one which no longer has an active RAF runway, one of which is due to become an Army base), and do so in direct contravention of a series of ministerial announcements to Parliament does seem a little odd...