Surely it must irritate more than a little that as an island nation we even have to consider that?
It's all well and good saying let's throw our hat in the ring with a NATO or Euro force, but what if the worst hypothetical scenario happens and we suddenly find ourselves facing a hostile force alone, the rest of our partners having fallen or capitulated? Are we then relying on the channel as a defensive measure? Or maybe hoping for a spot of congestion on the motorway outside Dover to slow the enemy up in time for the Home Guard to get together?
I'm sorry, but when it's backs to the wall, there's only one thing you can rely on to safeguard your own interests and that's yourself. Given the links between the MPA fleet and the strategic deterrent, do you really want the safeguarding of that in someone else's hands?