May ‘gives go-ahead for British sat-nav programme’ after Galileo cold shoulder

Theresa May has reportedly given the go-ahead for Britain to start work on a Britishmade satellite navigation system, having been frozen out of the European Galileo programme because of Brexit.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has signed off funding worth £100 million to kickstart a project that would rival the continental system that Britain has played a key role in creating, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Galileo was the source of a major row between Britain, the European Space Agency and European Commission over the level of access the UK will have to the Public Regulated Service (PRS) – a navigation and timing signal intended for use by government agencies, armed forces and emergency services.

The UK insists that for its involvement in the sys- tem to be worth continuing, it must be able to have detailed technical information about the PRS signal in order to rely on it for military purposes, something the EU is only prepared to grant to members of the bloc. The UK’S future status as a “third country” after Brexit means its firms may not be able to participate in creating some elements of the project.

Defence procurement minister GutoB ebb has said britain could create a rival to Galileo for £3 billion to£5 billion.