Did he nearly call Rolls Royce a crap engine company, when it's the BEST in the world, it was then, and it is now. Peregrine would have been good if they gave it more attention, but the government ignored them and told them to stay on the Merlin.
And the Merlin wasn't just 'good' it made the Allied Air Force. Even the last production (Built by Spain) 109s had Merlins in them. And in fact the very first prototype 109 had a Rolls Royce engine in it.
So, I'll say again, I think we could trust Rolls Royce to make BRILLIANT engine, even from scratch.