Responding to the government's position paper on Galileo, Prospect senior deputy general secretary Sue Ferns said:

“The Galileo project is a prime example of the benefits of scientific collaboration across the EU, with skilled workers and businesses all contributing to a world-leading piece of innovation that will benefit us all.

“The idea of the UK spending billions to create its own system is obviously ridiculous and the government is doing nobody any favours by publicly talking up these outlandish ideas.

“It is essential that both sides work through this impasse to find a solution rather than escalating the disagreement with unhelpful rhetoric, that includes the UK government recognising that the world does not revolve around our needs. 

"The government must commit to the values and structures that underpin successful international collaboration, including the mobility of researchers and regulation of data security.”