Why the Royal Navy sold carriers after the Second World War

Why did the Royal Navy sell or transfer carriers after the war while the United States retained more of its fleet?

Britain was trying to keep its better carriers and generate political and financial room for the larger Malta class, which it hoped would provide a durable postwar fleet core.

The disposals were a procurement choice rather than evidence that Britain no longer valued carrier aviation. Selling less desirable ships could bring in money, while allied operation of British carriers strengthened the case for modern replacements. The projected Malta class was much larger and offered the growth margin required for postwar aircraft and equipment. Had those ships been completed, they could have supported the Royal Navy for decades. Wartime carrier numbers still had to give way to financing a sustainable postwar force.