The UK could be blocked from using the Galileo satellite’s backup system

Britain has been outwitted by the EU over the Galileo satellite system because ministers believed “incompetently ignorant or at worst disloyal” civil servants, according to the former head of MI6.

Sir Richard Dearlove wants Theresa May to carry out her threat to leave the £8 billion programme and begin work on a UK-only system before becoming trapped in a Brussels “spider’s web”.

Galileo is a satellite-based navigation system created by the EU which aims to free European nations from having to rely on Russian, Chinese or US GPS systems. It is intended to be accurate within a metre and is considered crucial to UK military and intelligence needs.

The European Commission insists that the UK must be blocked from Galileo’s back-up system, needed by the