Tri-Service

"More Troops Needed To Guard Cyprus From Migrants"

Britain should boost its military forces on Cyprus to prevent more refugees arriving at its RAF bases, according to a former Foreign Office minister.

Conservative Henry Bellingham told the Commons it is "incredibly worrying" that boats containing more than 100 men, women and children arrived on the shores of RAF Akrotiri.

Mr Bellingham added the incident shows why David Cameron is right to say Britain should take refugees from the camps around Syria as it discourages people from making the "perilous journey" across the Mediterranean Sea.

Speaking during a defence debate, Mr Bellingham said: "If this is opened up as a new route into Europe then I think it'd be incredibly dangerous indeed and I very much hope the government will take firm action.

"We have the two sovereign base areas and I think it's essential extra personnel and extra capability is put in place to properly guard the coastline and stop these people - these very unfortunate people indeed - from landing there."

"Does it not just reinforce the Prime Minister's decision to actually take the refugees direct from the camps in the region rather than encouraging people to make this perilous journey across the Mediterranean?"

The UK government has reached an agreement that all travellers - whose nationalities are unknown but include Syrians, Iraqis, Libyans and Turks - be handed over to the Cypriot authorities.

Under this programme, Britain will accept 20,000 refugees over five years.

More from Forces TV: Fallon Says Akrotiri Migrants Not UK's Problem