Suez, fleet size, and the signals preceding the Falklands War

If the Anglo-French coalition retained control of the Suez Canal in 1956, would both navies remain larger and would the Falklands War still occur?

The navies would probably stay larger, but the Falklands outcome depended more on British signaling, including conflicting Foreign Office policy and withdrawal of the Antarctic patrol ship.

A more favorable Suez outcome could strengthen the political case for retaining ships in Britain and France. Whether Argentina moved against the Falklands would still depend on what it believed London was willing to defend. Contradictory official messages and the removal of a visible patrol presence weakened that signal. Long-term force structure and the immediate causes of a later crisis therefore remain separate questions.