Cyprus seeks to Farage-proof its UK military bases

LONDON — Cyprus wants to prevent Donald Trump from using the island’s British bases for wartime attacks and is asking the U.K. for guarantees in case right-winger Nigel Farage becomes prime minister.

In March U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to allow the United States to use Britain’s military bases in Cyprus for offensive airstrikes on Iran, but later allowed them to be used for the “specific and limited defensive purpose” of preventing Iranian attacks.

Both British and Cypriot officials confirmed to POLITICO that there is concern that a future U.K. government, such as one led by Farage, whose Reform UK party is leading in opinion polls, might decide differently.

Nicosia plans to raise the issue once the war in Iran is over, a senior Cypriot diplomatic official told POLITICO.

The official, who like others in this story was granted anonymity to discuss security matters, said Cyprus welcomed Starmer’s initial decision on the bases. However, the country wants concrete guarantees to ensure that future governments, such as one led by Farage — a Trump ally who previously backed U.S. military strikes in Iran before later questioning further involvement in the conflict — would not be able to unilaterally use the bases for military action.

They did not give details on how such an initiative would work in practice.

Cyprus gained independence from the U.K. in 1960, but London insisted that the bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia remain U.K. sovereign territory.

The bases have remained a sore point for years. Cypriot concerns intensified after an Iranian drone struck RAF Akrotiri on March 2 following the start of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.

Nicosia criticized what it saw as poor communication from London over the incident, including on whether the base had been involved in defensive operations linked to the Iran conflict, and the lack of advance warning for local residents.

Following the strike, President Nikos Christodoulides called for talks on the future of the “colonial” bases, with Cypriot diplomats expressing “disappointment” at the lack of information-sharing around the incident.

It also reopened the issue of how Britain should be allowed to use the bases, with Cyprus calling on the support of fellow EU countries.

In March, the European Council gathering EU leaders said it “acknowledges the intention of Cyprus to initiate a discussion with the UK on the UK bases in Cyprus and stands ready to provide assistance as needed.”

Marc Weller, director of the international law program at Chatham House, said: “Cyprus argues that the U.K. only retained more limited authority relating to defense. While the U.K. view [of full sovereignty] is legally correct, the Iran episode will offer an opportunity for Cyprus to reignite this debate.”

The Farage factor

Cypriot concerns worsened after Farage initially backed the use of overseas British bases, such as those in Cyprus and the Chagos archipelago, for offensive strikes against Iran.

Days later, however, he appeared to backtrack. “If we can’t even defend Cyprus, let’s not get ourselves involved in another foreign war,” Farage said, raising fresh questions about what a Reform-led government would do in power.

Though a U.K. general election is not expected until 2029, after the end of Trump’s second term in 2028, Reform UK is preparing for an early vote due to Starmer’s increasing unpopularity with voters.

Reform UK is due to unveil part of its defense policy on June 1. The party has been consulting defense, security and intelligence experts ahead of the next election, but currently has no official defense spokesperson.

However, the party insists that Britain retain control of the bases in Cyprus.

“Reform UK supports the continued strategic importance of the British bases in Cyprus and Britain’s sovereign right to decide how they are used,” said a party spokesperson. “Nigel Farage has been unequivocally clear Britain should not be dragged into unnecessary foreign wars but nor should we pretend we can project strength abroad after years of Labour and Conservative cuts to our armed forces.”

‘Colonial’ bases not up for debate

The Reform position on retaining control of the bases is in line with the view of the current left-wing Labour Party govenrment.

U.K. officials have signaled they are willing to discuss security cooperation with Cyprus. However, the legal status of the bases “is not up for debate. It’s grounded in some fundamentals of international law which, if you start to unpick it, it becomes quite messy quite quickly,” a government official said.

However, the official added: “It’s understandable that allies are concerned about the U.K.’s reliability should Farage become prime minister.”

One U.K. government figure involved in discussions with Cyprus told POLITICO that the bases are covered by a complex patchwork of treaties, which means their sovereignty and future use is not up for discussion.

“We have to be able to use our bases unfettered,” they said.

Weller said that the government may try to shift the debate to how to strengthen joint security, “also in relation to the security risk that may be posed to Cyprus on account of the presence of the bases in Cyprus.”

British ministers underlined support for Cyprus following the Iranian attack, with Defence Secretary John Healey meeting his counterpart days after the strike. They also met in London earlier this month.

London is also beefing up security at the Cyprus bases.

“We have deployed additional defensive capabilities to Cyprus since January, including radar systems, counter-drone systems and fast jets,” said a U.K. Ministry of Defence spokesperson. “These were bolstered after [the] outbreak of the conflict with the deployment of HMS Dragon, additional Royal Navy Wildcat and Merlin helicopters and Typhoon jets to protect our people and our interests.”