British newspaper the Independent on Thursday claimed a total of 50 British politicians have penned a letter to the country’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron, urging him to allow direct flights between the United Kingdom and the north of Cyprus.

Signatories to the letter reportedly included former British foreign secretary Jack Straw and former leader of David Cameron’s political party the Conservative Party Iain Duncan Smith.

Straw served as the country’s foreign secretary between 2001 and 2006, and thus played an active role in the period surrounding the failed Annan Plan referendum, and last year had called on the international community to “commit itself to a two-state solution” in Cyprus.

Duncan Smith has served as the MP for the Chingford and Woodford Green constituency in northeast London since 1992, which has a high Turkish Cypriot population, and has previously expressed support for direct flights between the UK and the north.

He is standing in the same constituency again in July’s British general election.

According to the Independent, the letter called on Cameron to end “one of the most restrictive policies of any country in Europe when it comes to air travel to Ercan”, the name given by the north’s authorities to the airport in Tymbou.

They also reportedly pointed out that there are already direct flights between the UK and countries which are not members of the United Nations, such as Kosovo, and countries which the UK itself does not recognise.

In addition, they reportedly said the north is “not a risk” and has “no history of poor safety”, and that Ercan (Tymbou) airport “abides by international aviation security standards”.

Though Cameron has made no indication that he would promote a change in the UK’s law to allow direct flights to the north, there seems to be little time left for him to do so while in office, even if he wanted to.

The UK’s general election will take place on July 4, with the Conservative Party looking likely to be voted out of office by the country’s electorate, to be replaced by the Labour Party.

The most likely candidate to replace Cameron is David Lammy, who is standing for the seat of Tottenham, having been the constituency’s MP since 2000.

His interventions on the matter of Cyprus have thus far been few and far between, but he did sign an early day motion in 2001 which decried the “brutal military invasion of Cyprus by the Turkish army in 1974”.

The motion was centred on the matter of Famagusta and called on the UK government of the day too “work with the government of the Republic of Cyprus for the return of Famagusta to its people, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots”.

The Cyprus Mail attempted to contact the Independent to verify the letter’s existence but received no response.

Asked about the reports on Thursday evening while attending a function, President Nikos Christodoulides commented:

“These efforts, particularly by British MPs, are well known. In fact, some of these MPs have been illegally given property in the north.”

The president added that Britain is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a guarantor for Cyprus, and that “under no circumstances can it take action that runs counter to resolutions which it itself has voted for.”