The British 707 that could have been

The British aircraft manufacturing industry of the postwar era was a mess.
There were petty disputes among companies, redundant research because no one
wanted to share anything, lack of public funding (this one is
understandable), and failure to adapt to the new era of air travel.

"We have handed to the Americans, without a struggle, the entire world
market for big jet airliners." — George Edwards, Vickers managing director