ELI5: Why does the UK always try to get the most expensive and complicated things possible?

I'm British (partly) and I can't help but notice the UK trying to play to the 'top end' all the time, to its own detriment. I'm mainly referring to the military here, as I think this is where this attitude is most prevalent.<br><br>For example, the Type 45 destroyers are excellent ships that do their job very well. But there are only 6 of them. Compare that to the 66 Arleigh Burkes the US has, and the Chinese 32 Type 052s, and you can begin to see where the lack of numbers is a problem. The presence of the Type 45s means the UK is able to play a more prestigious role in the Gulf, but that comes at the cost of having enough hulls in the water to defend the UK itself if push came to shove and a real war broke out. The money that went into the Type 45s could have gone into more, cheaper ships. It's the same with the carriers, and the fighter jets, and the tanks, and the rifles, and just about everything the UK tries to do, really.<br><br>Please note that I'm not saying the UK should go to war with these countries. A full scale war is something to be avoided at all costs, and it makes no sense for the UK to try and go to war with China. I'm just saying the UK doesn't have the hardware it needs to defend itself from attack because it keeps trying to spend its limited money on prestige.<br><br>What's the thinking behind this? Is there some sort of thought process or reason that the UK won't invest in the mass produced, simpler hardware which would give it far larger numbers?