Why British Pacific commanders used battleships

Why did British Pacific commanders use battleships rather than cruiser flagships?

Battleships gave British commanders status alongside the much larger concentrated US fleet, though cruiser command was operationally feasible.

Battleships supplied status when British commanders dealt with an American fleet concentrated in the Pacific. Royal Navy strength remained dispersed across Europe, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean, so the British contingent looked smaller than the service's total commitment. A capital-ship flagship helped place its commander on a more equal institutional footing with American counterparts. With the Eastern Fleet and other British forces combined into a larger Pacific concentration, an experienced officer such as Philip Vian could readily have commanded from a cruiser instead.