The UK is beholden to the US for its naval support. When push comes to shove, the US will prioritise its own vessels and the Royal Navy will come a very poor second.
But this is no different to how the German Wehrmacht treated its Austrian and Hungarian allies in WW2. Things never change.
I'd actually go even further: its not 1910, Britian has no empire or interests in the Pacific. Maybe we shouldn't be spending billions playing solider/sailer in a place that is as far away from the UK as you can get and still be on earth. Maybe checking Chinese power is an economic task for us and we should support allies there (Aus and the US) rather than pretending we're a player.
I can agree with that. And I'll give credit that buying US F35s might mean we get a little more face time. But let's not pretend the UK is the number one anything.
I know this is a good deal for the US, they have sold billions in planes. But pretending we're a real power is silly and frankly harmful when my gullible country men actually believe it...