Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

–United Kingdom relations are foreign relations between

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The two countries share membership in the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

up till 31 January 2020 when the UK withdrew from the bloc.

History

The British took possession of Malta in 1800, defeating an unpopular French garrison that had taken possession of the islands two years earlier. Malta remained under British control until the end of the Treaty of Paris of 1814. The islands were seen as being of key strategic significance, lying between

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and the Suez Canal, and became an important shipping station on the sea route between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

and

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. As a result, Malta became the headquarters of the British Mediterranean Fleet until the 1930s. The islands were essentially under British military rule until 1849, when a partly elected legislative council was formed. In 1921, this was replaced with a fully elected bicameral parliament, which brought Malta a degree of Home Rule within the British Empire. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the islands were regularly bombed by Axis forces. Despite the efforts of the Regia Aeronautica and the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

, the islands did not surrender. This is credited to the heroism of the general population of Malta, who earned them a collective George Cross, awarded by

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

in 1943. A depiction of the distinguished medal has remained on the Maltese flag to the present day (in a red fimbriation after its original blue canton was removed in 1964). In the 1950s and 1960s, serious consideration was given in the United Kingdom and Malta to the idea of a political union between the two countries. Despite Malta supporting integration in a 1956 referendum, the plans for it foundered, and Malta gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. The British monarch Queen Elizabeth II remained Queen of Malta until the country became a republic in 1974. After independence, a defence agreement, coupled with a financial aid package, allowed the continued use of Malta by British armed forces and the island was the Mediterranean headquarters of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. In 1971, the new

prime minister of Malta The prime minister of Malta ( mt, Prim Ministru ta' Malta) is the head of government, which is the highest official of Malta. The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings, and selects its ministers to serve in their respective portfolios. The P ...

Dom Mintoff Dominic Mintoff, ( mt, Duminku Mintoff, ; often called ''il-Perit'', "the Architect"; 6 August 1916 – 20 August 2012) was a Maltese Socialist politician, architect, and civil engineer who was leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 198 ...

, cancelled the agreement resulting in the withdrawal of British forces, but in March 1972, a further agreement was reached at

Marlborough House Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was built in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marl ...

in London, for the use of British bases on Malta for a further seven years. All British forces finally withdrew on 31 March 1979, an event commemorated by the Freedom Day national holiday. There is a small Maltese community in the United Kingdom. In addition, the British overseas territory of

has been influenced by significant immigration from Malta in the 18th and 19th century. Since the Brexit referendum, the number of applications for Maltese citizenship by British citizens, based on either family link or long-term residence, has seen a spike from 382 in 2016 to 619 in 2017 and 704 only in the first 10 months of 2018. Malta remains a popular tourist destination for British holidaymakers, with 640,570 arrivals from the United Kingdom in 2017.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Malta has a high commission in London. * United Kingdom has a high commission in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

. File:High Commission of Malta in London 1.jpg, High Commission of Malta in London File:Malta - Ta' Xbiex - ix-Xatt Ta' Xbiex - Royal Netherlands Embassy Malta 02.jpg, High Commission of the United Kingdom in Valletta

References

External links

British Foreign Office about the relation with Malta British High Commission in Valletta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malta-United Kingdom relations Bilateral relations of the United Kingdom

Relations of colonizer and former colony

History

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

References

External links