Would an independent Fleet Air Arm accelerate fighter development?

If the Fleet Air Arm controlled its own budget, could naval Spitfire work affect the standard Spitfire?

Possibly, by funding engine development a year or two earlier, though the effect would be incremental rather than transformative.

The mechanism is budgetary rather than a sudden technical breakthrough. With Reginald Henderson overseeing naval aviation procurement through the First Sea Lord's organization, the Navy could fund engine development that was historically delayed for lack of money. The likely acceleration is modest, measured in a year or two rather than a radically different aircraft generation.