Give us back our £1billion!

As EU claims it could kick us out of satellite project we helped pay for, Britain’s counter-threat:

BreXiT talks turned into an extraordinary row over security co-operation last night as Brussels accused British negotiators of ‘chasing a fantasy’.

a senior eU official even threatened to bring talks to a halt due to acrimony over the eU’s Galileo satellite project and a post- Brexit security pact.

Brussels says Britain should not have full access to the £9billion satellite navigation system after it leaves the eU.

Yesterday, Britain hit back by threatening it could demand the return of £1.2billion of taxpayer investment if Brussels goes through with its threat.

The Uk also warned that the bloc’s hard-line approach to future co- operation on crime and security issues was in danger of creating ‘unnecessary risks to public safety’.

Last night, a senior eU figure struck back by warning of a halt to Brexit talks, insisting Brussels ‘would not negotiate under threat’.

The official claimed that British negotiators were ‘chasing a fantasy’ and ignoring the ‘consequences of Brexit’.

The comments are likely to infuriate the Government and Brexiteers, with talks at a critical juncture ahead of a key summit at the end of next month.

The eU’s approach to Galileo has particularly enraged ministers, because Britain has already invested hundreds of millions in the programme.

Jean-claude Juncker’s close ally Martin selmayr is thought to be behind the tough approach, which has caused a split with other eU states that want

security co-operation with the Uk. Britain wants access to high- security elements of the Galileo programme, started in 2003 to rival america’s dominant GPs system, that have been factored into British military planning.

But Brussels claims that as a non-eU country, the Uk should be treated similarly to partners such as america.

Yesterday, Britain warned the bloc that failure to provide the Uk access to encrypted parts of Galileo would create an ‘irreparable security risk’ and could cost the eU a total of £2billion.

Brexit negotiators said the eU would face a £880million bill if the Uk continues to be frozen out of the programme – as well as a three-year delay beyond its expected completion in 2020.

in a position paper, the Uk also said it would seek to claim back its £1.2billion taxpayer investment if Brussels refused to offer immediate unrestricted access. and the Government reiterated that it would push ahead with the development of its own alternative.

The Uk’s demands were outlined in a combative paper presented to the eU negotiating team on Wednesday. ‘ an end to close Uk participation will be to the detriment of europe’s prosperity and security and could result in delays and additional costs to the programme,’ the Uk text said. The paper suggested that Brussels was deliberately overlooking the Uk’s ‘considerable contribution’ to european security. it added: ‘The commission suggestion that Uk involvement in such exchanges and discussions “could irretrievably compromise the integrity” of the system risks being interpreted as a lack of trust in the Uk.’ Brexit secretary David Davis added: ‘a relationship based solely on existing third country precedents, as some seem to be suggesting, would lead to a substantial and avoidable reduction in our shared security capability.’

eU officials suggested that handing the Uk security codes to the system would give them the ability to turn it off single-handedly while outside the eU.

an official also claimed that Uk calls for reimbursement of its investments could breach a socalled ‘ backsliding’ clause that could allow talks to be frozen.

÷Theresa May was hit by her first Brexit resignation last night as eurosceptic MP andrea Jenkyns said she was quitting her role as ministerial aide at the Ministry of housing. she said she wanted to concentrate on her role on the Brexit select committee, which she said was ‘ unbalanced’ in favour of remainers.