Treaties and the survival of British shipyards

Could treaty savings keep British shipbuilding infrastructure ready for post-treaty rearmament?

Yes, but only if the government used public money to underwrite privately owned yards during the construction pause.

The treaty does not automatically convert lower fleet maintenance costs into healthy shipyards. Private firms lose work when the building program contracts, even if the state saves money elsewhere. The government would have to underwrite that privately owned infrastructure directly. Without such support, yards and skills would still disappear before the next rearmament cycle.