Baroness Neville-Rolfe, the Minister for Intellectual Property, has confirmed that the UK is to ratify plans to create a single European patent system.

The new system will have to accept rulings issued by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Ratifying the agreement will lead to a division of the new Unified Patent Court being set up in London for deciding on disputes over inventions.

The Minister said: “As the Prime Minister has confirmed, for as long as we are members of the EU, the UK will continue to play a full and active role.

“We will seek the best deal possible as we negotiate a new agreement with the European Union. We want that deal to reflect the kind of mature, co-operative relationship that close friends and allies enjoy.”

Andrew Lilico, the executive director of the London-based Europe Economics consultancy group, said the move is “the first really concrete commitment of the Government towards Brexit. As it stands, it implies the softest of soft Brexits — much softer than has been discussed”.