What Britain intended at Mers-el-Kébir

Would Warspite, a modernized Hood, or a stronger British force have changed Mers-el-Kébir?

A stronger force could have made any battle more decisive, and Warspite might have caught Strasbourg before she reached full speed, but Britain arrived intending negotiation rather than a fleet action.

Both counterfactual branches remove the confrontation at Mers-el-Kébir because the French fleet remains allied. A better-prepared British battle force, especially one including Warspite and Cunningham, would have made any fight more dangerous for France. Warspite's speed disadvantage against Strasbourg mattered less if she could prevent the French ship from reaching open water and working up to full speed. That was not the operation Britain expected when Force H arrived. The preferred outcomes were continued French cooperation or removal of the ships to a place such as Martinique, with combat following only after negotiation failed.