The Brits have a lot to lose. First their Lettuce lets the cat out of the bag and reveals 'it is done' (referring to NordStream). Back in November a sub carrying Trident missiles was forced to surface in Russian waters due to an electrical fire on board. Radio hams monitoring the Baltic Sea picked up the mayday signal and triangulated the location. Now all stories say this occurred in the North Atlantic.

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/uk-news/british-nuclear-submarine-with-trident-ii-missile-catches-fire-aborts-secret-mission-articleshow.html

Some months after Nordstream and the 'electrical fire' on board the sub, fiber optic cables connecting Shetland and Faroes were 'damaged' (Russian ships ...). There is a listening post on Unst, a Shetland island, which monitors any traffic passing from the Norwegian Sea to the North Atlantic. This was effectively shut down.

https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/fiber-optic-submarine-cable-near-faroe-and-shetland-islands-damaged-mediterranean-cables-also-cut#:~:text=Similar%20to%20the%20Svalbard%20cable,vessels%2C%20which%20damaged%20the%20cables.

These two stories suggest to me that British hubris has greatly underestimated Russian prowess and consequently they have painted themselves into a corner.

Interesting that the Brits (and possibly the Poles) have been so quickly exposed, much like NordStream. Now we get to see the obfuscation.