Eight Queen Elizabeths would strengthen British treaty leverage

How would eight Queen Elizabeths change Britain's choices over capital-ship ratios and new construction at the Washington Conference?

Britain could offer up its older 13.5-inch ships, protect Hood and its 15-inch fleet, and still seek new construction because treaty ratios were calculated through standard displacement rather than simple hull counts.

Eight Queen Elizabeths would let the Royal Navy surrender its older 13.5-inch ships while retaining a strong 15-inch battle fleet. Hood would remain non-negotiable, and a demand to scrap her could prompt Britain to leave the Washington negotiations. American leverage over British war debt therefore had limits. Treaty ratios also depended on standard displacement rather than a simple hull count, so the many British ships below 35,000 tons mattered to the arithmetic.