Theoretical particle physics PhD funding situation in the UK (2026 entry)

So, I am currently a part-III student at Cambridge, specialising in hep-th. I have applied to several places for a PhD in the UK.

There seems to be some problem in the particle physics community in the UK due to the major funding cuts. Lot of the places seem to be delaying sending out interview invites. I'd say my profile in pretty damn stong with Cambridge part-3 + top grades + multiple publications in top journals. I actually hold an offer from one R1 US institute as well, but I am hoping to hear back from top places in the UK, like Oxford, Imperial, and Edinburgh. Very surprisingly, I got rejected from a UK school that I was treating as a "safety school" with the reason that the supervisors I expressed interest in working with didn't have availability. It personally sounded like a strange reason to me.

I'd be really grateful if one could shed some light on this. Whats going on behind the scenes ? Will international applicants find it more difficult than usual to get a fullly funded position ?