The newly announced Type 32 is presented as an incremental development of Type 31. Keeping hull development and production moving could create the repeatable "frigate factory" long discussed in British naval planning. The same lineage might eventually lead to a Type 33 air-defence frigate replacing the Type 45 destroyers. A continuing production line could carry design knowledge into successive batches while their capabilities evolved. This was an early reaction on 19 November 2020, and actual delivery remained uncertain.
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Type 32 as a step toward a Type 33 air-defence frigate
The opening reaction to the Type 32 announcement treats repeat frigate construction as a possible bridge to a later Type 33 air-defence replacement for Type 45.