British Armed Forces could be blocked from using the military applications of Europe's Galileo satellite network after Brexit, The Telegraph has learnt.

EU legal concerns over whether a non-EU state can be granted access to the ultra-accurate encrypted satellite navigation data when it comes online in 2020, are behind exclusion plans being discussed in Brussels.

Military experts warn that British forces would be working with "less than the best" unless the UK can broker a deal to gain access to the network.

The current tough EU position is enshrined in the draft legal text of the Brexit transition agreement, which states that the UK will be treated as an EU member state except where this would "grant access to sensitive information" that a non-member "is not to have knowledge of ".

Earlier this month, EU ambassadors were briefed by European Commission legal experts that this language - in paragraph 6 of the transition text - had been added to avoid the UK having access to sensitive information, and specifically Galileo's military applications.

The EU hardline emerged ahead of Theresa May's speech at the annual Munich Security Conference in which she pitched for the UK to remain an integral part of Europe's security infrastructure, including Europol and the European Arrest Warrant.