What eight additional Type 23 frigates would have changed

If Britain had built eight more Type 23 frigates, would the later ships simply have been sold in the 2000s or 2010s?

No; the Royal Navy would more likely have sold older Type 22s and early Type 23s while retaining the younger ships and continuous yard workload.

Continuing the late Type 23 programme at about one ship laid down each year would take an eight-ship extension through 2007, with the final commissioning around 2010 on the assumed three-year build time. Roughly three ships could remain under construction at once. This would give the fleet younger frigates and avoid a break in yard work before Type 45 construction. Older Type 22s and early Type 23s would be the likelier disposal candidates, with Grafton, Norfolk, and Marlborough's sales to Chile used as the historical comparison. A younger, larger Type 23 fleet could also affect the timing of Type 26 and Type 31, although that consequence remains conditional.