The ‘withdrawal of British colonial bases from every corner of Europe’ has been demanded ahead of Andy Burnham’s UK-EU summit
RAF Akrotiri is a key British military base in the Mediterranean (Image: MoD Crown Copyright via Getty Im)
Britain is already facing calls to surrender control of military bases in Europe as the price to rejoin the European Union. Andy Burnham has said he wants to see the UK back in the EU in his lifetime – though not before the next election – and the European Commission has been urged to demand “the withdrawal of British colonial bases from every corner of Europe”. Cypriot MEP Geadis Geadi, a member of the Right-wing National People’s Front, has called on the Commission to be “unequivocal” in insisting the UK give up its bases if it wants to return as a member state. He described the military sites as a “remnant of colonialism, depriving the Republic of Cyprus of the exercise of sovereignty over European territory”. The push comes ahead of this month’s EU-UK summit in Brussels in which Mr Burnham will attempt to secure a closer relationship with the bloc.
Former Conservative Defence Secretary Sir Liam Fox said: “I think that Burnham is the EU cuckoo in the nest. He’s a man who didn’t even stand at the last general election and now is systematically allowing the EU in by the back door. And given Labour’s instincts over the Chagos Islands, we should be deeply worried about what they will give away to please Brussels.”
Alan Mendoza, co-founder of the Henry Jackson Society foreign policy think tank, said: “The Cypriot move shows the innate foolishness of assuming that EU membership will be available on the already flawed terms of 2016. It won’t be. Any move back towards EU rules and regulations will be accompanied by a huge financial cost and the determination of individual EU members to extract their pound of flesh for what would be an act of British surrender. Andy Burnham should come clean about the real costs of EU membership rather than the fantasy vision he has constructed.”
Andy Burnham wants the UK to rejoin the EU in his lifetime (Image: Getty Images)
Alp Mehmet, Britain’s former ambassador to Iceland – who describes himself as a “Turkish-Cypriot East End Brit” – insisted the Cyprus bases are important.
He said: “The British Sovereign Base Areas are not some colonial relic. Their current status was established under the 1960 settlement that brought Cyprus independence, and their continued presence is entirely lawful. They serve not just Britain’s national interests but the wider security and stability of the Eastern Mediterranean. Britain can acknowledge its colonial past without surrendering its strategic interests in the present… We cannot allow Cyprus to become another Chagos.”
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said: “Britain’s military presence overseas is vital to our national security and our ability to defend our interests. It must never become a bargaining chip in the Prime Minister’s desperate pursuit of closer ties with Brussels. Whether in Cyprus, Gibraltar or elsewhere in Europe, our military bases and the sovereignty that underpins them must not be put up for negotiation. Decisions about Britain’s defence must be made in Britain, not dictated by the EU. This is what happens when Britain shows weakness on the world stage and is exactly why Labour must scrap their crazy Chagos deal once and for all. Labour simply cannot be trusted to stand up for British sovereignty.”
A Government spokesperson said: “As outlined by the Prime Minister, there are no plans to rejoin the EU within this parliament. The UK is categorically not considering the status of any military bases as part of discussions with the EU”.