Cabinet Minister Mistakenly States Cyprus Is In Nato

David Lammy has mistakenly claimed Cyprus is a member of the Nato defence alliance, even though it’s not.

The country has been in the spotlight ever since Iranian forces sent two drones to the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus last Sunday.

There were no casualties and the strike caused limited damage.

But the government is still sending additional staff to deal with air defences to the region, including over the island, in case Iran strikes again.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Friday, the deputy prime minister was explaining why it was so important that the UK defends the base when he misspoke.

He said: “We will do everything we can to protect our airbase, to protect our staff and people, but also to support – alongside our allies, I should say, because Cyprus is part of Nato – the French, the Germans and others have also sent frigates to the base.”

There are 32 countries in the defence alliance, including many European states near Cyprus like Greece.

But Cyprus is one of the four EU countries which are not in the Nato.

Still, Lammy repeated the remark later, saying: “The safety of that base is also essential. It’s not just a base that serves the United Kingdom, it serves the region, and of course we work very much with our allies because Cyprus is a Nato country.”

Iran’s drone activity did not prompt formal consultations within Nato or the European Union over collective defence measures.

It’s thought the UK’s military base was the target as the attack came shortly after prime minister Keir Starmer confirmed he would allow the US to use British bases to launch limited and defensive strikes against Iran.

The UK is part of Nato, and member states can trigger Article 4 to request consultations among all allies if they believe their territorial integrity, political independence or security is at risk.

Lammy’s slip-up comes amid wider fears that Trump’s war in the Middle East will soon engulf other countries.

Nato chief Mark Rutte stressed on Tuesday that the military alliance was not “itself involved” in the ongoing events in the Middle East, but reiterated that it would “defend every inch of Nato territory” if necessary.