Could Britain have built post-war battleships?

Could Britain have afforded four new battleships after 1945?

Only with a compelling strategic need, major reprioritisation, and likely greater imperial support for the Royal Navy.

Post-war Britain directed scarce money elsewhere because no immediate battleship threat compelled a new programme. This distinguishes financial inability from a choice among competing demands. A Soviet capital-ship programme would have created pressure to fund British counterparts despite the economic difficulty. Such a response would probably have depended more heavily on imperial support for the Royal Navy and forced the United States to reconsider how much it needed British maritime power.