Britain must not lose control of its military bases on Cyprus or risk a repeat of the Chagos Islands debacle, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned. The Government of Cyprus is reportedly preparing “at all levels” for negotiations on the future of the military bases on the island. This has triggered concerns Cyprus may seek its own version of the deal which saw the Labour Government agree to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back the UK-US Diego Garcia base.

The Cyprus Mail reported government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis saying that “at the appropriate time and where and when there is something which can be announced, it will be announced”.

Britain’s Akrotiri airbase was hit by a drone strike earlier this month. This triggered questions about the UK’s capacity to protect the bases as the US and Israeli strikes on Iran continue.

Another spokesman for the Cypriot Government said earlier in the week that it has received legal advice on the treaty which underpins the British presence on the bases. Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides has described the bases as a “colonial remnant”.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Keir Starmer’s weakness and indecision over the war in Iran, and his prevarication and unpreparedness when it comes to defending our assets, have left our allies feeling deeply let down and left our bases exposed. Now his prevarication has resulted in Cyprus raising serious questions about the future of our bases, which are key to our national security. Starmer must show some backbone, commit to the future of our bases and ensure Cyprus does not become the next Chagos.”

The group Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus has demanded Turkish Cypriots must be included in talks on the future of the bases.

It said in a statement: “If talks proceed on the UK sovereign base areas (SBAs), or on any issue touching sovereignty and security, they must reflect the reality of two peoples on the island and include Turkish Cypriots as equal participants. This is not a matter of preference but of principle. “Any process that ignores it will lack both legitimacy and durability.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “As the Defence Secretary said, the longstanding friendship between the UK and the Republic of Cyprus is strong in the face of Iranian threats. The status of the sovereign base areas is not in question.

“The SBAs have never been part of the Republic of Cyprus as UK sovereignty was retained over these areas when Cyprus became independent in 1960. We have no plans to change this.”