Why politics and unit cost produced the Revenge class

Why did the Royal Navy build the Revenge class when it looked like a step backward from Queen Elizabeth?

Political pressure demanded eight ships at an acceptable total price, and the funding available could not buy eight more Queen Elizabeths.

The apparent technical puzzle comes down to the political arithmetic of the 'We want eight and we won't wait' campaign. The government and navy needed eight hulls, but the campaign did not provide enough money for eight additional Queen Elizabeth-class fast battleships. Revenge therefore offered 15-inch guns in a less expensive package that could meet the authorized number. A funded Queen Elizabeth Mark II might have used small-tube boilers and become a much more highly regarded class, though geared turbines were less certain.