Britain's Science Minister Sam Gyimah resigned late on Friday branding Prime Minister Theresa May "incredibly naive" after she announced the UK would not be involved in the EU's Galileo project post-Brexit.

Axar.az reports citing Euronews.

The UK had wanted to stay part of the €10 billion project to develop a global navigation satellite system to rival the US but the EU said the country would be banned from using the encrypted, more secure features of the system, designed to be used by govermental entities.

May confirmed on Friday that the UK was pulling out of the project.

"The commission decided that we would be barred from having full aspects of the Galileo programme and so it is right for us to look for alternatives." May told reporters in Buenos Aires where she is attending the G20 summit.

"I cannot let our armed services depend on a system that we cannot be sure of. That would not be in our national interest," she added.

'Clarion call'

Britain's Universities and Sciences Minister Sam Gyimah responded to the announcement by offering his resignation.

"Galileo is a clarion call that it will be the 'Eu first', and to think otherwise — whether you are a leaver or a remainer — is at best incredibly naive," Gyimah wrote in a statement on Facebook.

"In these protacted negotiations our interests will be repeatedly and permanently hammered by the EU27 for many years to come," he added.