Fallon: Refugees landing in Cyprus are not Britain's responsibility

The government will not allow sovereign territory in Cyprus to become a "new route" for refugees hoping to seek asylum in Britain, the Defence Secretary told ITV News.

It comes after the United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, said the UK should be held legally responsible for resettling the 114 Syrian, Iraqi and Libyan refugees who washed up on Cypriot shores yesterday.

Because the coastal RAF base at Akrotiri is UK sovereign territory, the UNHCR argued Britain should be held accountable for refugees arriving there.

Read: ITV News witnesses refugee boats arriving at RAF base

Read: RAF Cyprus base on lockdown as refugee boats wash ashore

But, in an interview with ITV News, Michael Fallon rejected the idea - saying the government had an "agreement" with Cyprus which meant this was not the case.