The british empire is on the run from a japanese army that's going to come right up to the edge of the moat that separates a singapore from the mainland. Churchill was getting information from the people on the ground that singapore couldn't be held. So do you send more reinforcements there? Because reinforcements are on the way already. How many people are you willing to sacrifice for optics, even if you're just adding to the number of prisoners who will eventually get taken by the japanese and become your slaves?