Britain should poach top EU scientists from the European medicines regulator post-Brexit, Tory MPs have said after it was revealed a majority of its staff want to remain in London.

MEPs have been warned in a behind closed-doors meeting in Brussels that three quarters of employees working at the European Medicines Agency do not want to leave Britain after its withdrawal from the bloc.

The Brexit vote sparked a race among 23 European cities to host the prestigious agency, which governs the safety of medical products for humans and animal products and gives drugs EU market approval.

The Telegraph can reveal that the European Parliament’s Budget Committee was told by the regulator that 75 per cent of the 890 European Medicines Agency workers wanted to stay in London.