Britain is facing calls to surrender control of military bases in Europe as the price to rejoin the European Union, with a Cypriot MEP urging the European Commission to demand "the withdrawal of British colonial bases from every corner of Europe".
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 push comes ahead of this month's EU-UK summit in Brussels, where he will attempt to secure a closer relationship with the bloc.
Cypriot MEP calls for base withdrawal
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".
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."
Think tank warns of hidden costs
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."
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."
Government rules out base discussions
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."
