Portsmouth's post-Brexit trading prospects boosted as Bangladeshi minister cites 'beginning' of partnership

The rallying message came as Bangladesh’s minister for aviation and tourism, Mahbub Ali, made a special appearance in Portsmouth. 

Dozens of entrepreneurs packed into the Akash in Albert Road, Southsea, on Wednesday to meet Mr Ali and hear him speak. 

His visit, teed up by curry house boss Faz Ahmed, comes just three months after the Portsmouth Bangladesh Business Association launched. 

The collective recently announced its lofty aspirations of forging a thriving two-way link between the two places after Brexit. 

Mr Ali, who represents centre-left party the Bangladesh Awami League, said: ‘We will work together, we’ll deal with you, you support us, visit us, and the British friendship will live long.’ 

He added: ‘We're expecting that all of you will visit Bangladesh – let this be a beginning.’ 

As he spoke during his visit Mr Ali said Britain was Bangladesh’s ‘best friend’, but cited the ‘huge’ potential of the plans floated by the PBBA. 

These include twinning with the city of Sylhet – where many of Portsmouth's 10,000 Bangladeshi residents have roots – and developing an academic relationship that would see the University of Portsmouth take on more Bangladeshi students and exchange research resources. 

Rowshanara Reza, assistant secretary of the BPPA, said the organisation’s prospects were becoming ‘more real’ as a result of the visit. 

‘There are lots of things we can learn from Bangladesh and that’s something we need to be mindful of,’ she said.