James Cleverly, who is on a three-country tour of Africa, was speaking after meeting Nigerian President Bola Tinubu in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

Mr Tinubu is also chair of Ecowas and has taken a robust stance on the coup, which has been widely condemned.

On Sunday, he hosted a meeting of West African leaders who gave Niger's junta a week to give up power or face possible military consequences.

The British foreign secretary said:

"We touched briefly on the situation in Niger. I made the point that the UK very much welcomes Ecowas' and indeed his [Tinubu's] decisive action, his strong commitment to democracy and the unambiguous message that violence is not the means to bring political change in any circumstance.

"And that the commitment to democracy in Nigeria and in the region is unwavering. This very much supports the UK's position."

West African defence chiefs are also meeting in Abuja about Niger - consultations that will go on until Friday.

Nigeria’s military spokesperson, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, told the BBC: “The military solution will be the last option.”

Their military plan is to be presented on Friday to Ecowas heads of state, who will then decide the bloc’s next line of action on Niger.