The prospect is being aired because the EU is saying the UK won’t be able to access  the encrypted part of the Galileo network when we leave next year.

“My understanding is it’s not to replicate the entire system,” said Paynter, “it’s actually to look at giving access to the UK to what is known as the public regulated system, which is a higher reliability and secure signal which can be used by services or the armed forces.”

Airbus is the majority owner of Surrey Satellites which makes satellites for the Galileo project.

After Brexit, all work being done on the Galileo project in the UK will have to be transferred to French and German manufacturing sites.