Part of Britain's institutional preference for naval spending can be traced to the political conflicts surrounding Charles I. Ship money provoked anger because the levy was used improperly and was not simply funding the Navy as claimed. Opponents were also deeply wary of taxation that would place a substantial army under royal control. That combination created a durable political distinction between a fleet associated with national defence and a standing army associated with domestic coercion. This history helps explain why the modern British Army still faces a harder peacetime funding argument than the Royal Navy.
Notable Point · 2:09:42-2:10:36
British suspicion of armies and preference for naval funding
The English Civil War provides a long historical backdrop for Britain's greater comfort with funding navies than maintaining large standing armies.