How postwar British shipbuilding could have stayed stronger

Is there a plausible timeline in which British shipbuilding remains healthier after the Second World War?

A steady naval construction baseline and government pressure to modernize yards could have preserved skills and improved merchant competitiveness.

A steady baseline of naval orders offered one way to keep British shipbuilding stronger after the Second World War. Continuous work could support investment in technology and help yards compete for merchant contracts, although it would not preserve the industry's former scale. More consistent naval construction since the Queen Elizabeth class project provides a recent comparison, with some growth in merchant work as yards invested. Modernization also required overcoming unions' fears about jobs and owners' reluctance to spend money. Naval contracts could require new construction methods, leaving yards that insisted on older practices without the work. Public dockyards strengthened the government's position because it could invest in its own facilities if private contractors refused to upgrade. In this argument, disposing of that capacity in pursuit of commercial efficiency removed a useful means of influencing industrial investment.