Type 83 and the shipyard timetable behind programme decisions

Type 26 construction delays and the addition of Norwegian ships provide one suggested explanation for the timing of the Type 83 decision. On that interpretation, the intended yard could not begin the destroyers until well into the 2030s. Reshaping the programme would avoid announcing a difficult delay. Clarke also reports conversations with people in or close to government who attributed hostility towards Type 83 and Type 32 to their association with Boris Johnson's administration. That secondhand allegation does not establish the government's motive, and he expresses reluctance to believe it.