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Britain must not allow its military bases on Cyprus to become “bargaining chips” and should make it clear to the European Union that the sovereignty of these sites is not up for negotiation, the UK Government has been warned. Nick de Bois, a former MP who served as a special adviser at the Department for Exiting the European Union, is alarmed by the pledge by EU leaders to support Cyprus as it seeks an “open and frank” discussion about the future of the bases.

He said: “Clarity is essential. The UK’s position should be stated plainly: the Sovereign Base Areas are British; their status is settled; and their future is not open to negotiation with third parties. Anything less risks ceding control of the process – and, ultimately, the outcome.”

The future of the bases has been pushed up the political agenda in Cyprus after RAF Akrotiri was targeted in drone attacks following the US strikes on Iran.

Mr de Bois said the EU statement that it “stands ready to provide assistance as needed” was “not a neutral step”.

He said: “It is an attempt by an external bloc to insert itself into a matter of British sovereignty.”

The former Enfield North MP said the bases are “sovereign British territory, established by treaty at independence in 1960, and they remain integral to the United Kingdom’s strategic posture”.

He believes there is a “coordinated effort to reopen a settled question” and warned: “The recent history of the Chagos Islands illustrates how long-standing arrangements can come under sustained challenge once their permanence is called into question.”

Britain has been forced to shelve a plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back the UK-US Diego Garcia military base following the withdrawal of American support for the deal. There would be cross-party concern if a similar arrangement was demanded in Cyprus.

Cyprus remains a divided island and Mr de Bois said the south had “acceded to the European Union in a manner that entrenched division and left Turkish Cypriots effectively isolated”.

He added: “That episode raised legitimate doubts about the EU’s ability to act as a neutral actor in matters relating to the island.”

The campaign group Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus argues: “Turkish Cypriots cannot be excluded from any process concerning sovereignty, security, or the future of Cyprus.”

Mr de Bois said the UK Government “should not allow informal or exploratory discussions to evolve into a process that implicitly questions the United Kingdom’s legal position”. Nor, he added, “should it accept the premise that external actors have any standing in determining the future of British territory”.

Armed forces minister Al Carns, a former senior officer in the Royal Marines, this month said: “We have to be really clear on this, the legal status of the sovereign base areas is rock solid,”

The UK Government is confident sovereignty over the bases is “absolute in legal terms” and insists these sites “make a vital contribution to the security of Europe and the wider region”.