Described to me once by an involved VSO:
"Req was for a system that could hold CAP for Xhours at over XXXHundred miles out over the North Sea in a snow storm at night and engage at beyond visual range multiple Regimental sized Backfire raids coming in at varied height in heavy ECM jamming "
Not much could do that. F-14 and MRCA ADV was it. F-14 massively expensive and not that much better than home grown option.
Plus if you subtract 165 aircraft from the MRCA programme that could have persuaded the Germans to walk and you then lose the entire MRCA programme.
Lacking the home grown ability to produce such systems and relying on sourcing from abroad means that you then have to rely on the good will of overseas Governments and as such severely compromise your Foreign Policy.