Portsmouth could be twinned with Malta's capital Valletta due to strong links to the navy

Councillor Charlotte Gerada, leader of the Labour group, has proposed the twinning after joining the Portsmouth City Council’s twinning advisory group. The practice of twinning, or sister cities, was introduced after the Second World War to promote diplomacy along with cultural and commercial ties.

Portsmouth is currently twinned with Caen in France, Duisburg in Germany, Haifa in Israel, and Sydney in Australia, among other cities in China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Canada. Cllr Gerada, who is of Maltese descent, highlighted the strong historical and cultural links between Valletta and Portsmouth. She mentioned that hundreds of Maltese people moved to Portsmouth in the late 1970s for work in the dockyard, including her grandfather.

She also noted that there is an active Maltese community in Portsmouth, especially in the Charles Dickens ward. She praised the efforts of the Maltese Culture Movement, which organises local events to celebrate Maltese culture. During the Second World War, Malta experienced one of the most intense bombing campaigns, with 15,000 tonnes of explosives dropped on the archipelago between 1940 and 1942. Heavily protected convoys sailed from Gibraltar and Egypt to resupply the island, often at great loss of men and ships.

Cllr Gerada emphasised the “really strong links from a naval perspective,” noting that many people with naval connections have either been posted to Malta or had training there. “If you have anything to do with the navy or the maritime industry, then Malta is renowned,” she added. She also highlighted further similarities, noting that both cities feature historic fortifications, boast island locations, and have populations that share “enterprising” and “outward-looking” attitudes toward life.

The Lord Mayor, Jason Fazackarley, has agreed to host a flag-raising ceremony on September 21 to celebrate Malta’s Independence Day. Councillors recently met to discuss other twinning proposals, including Berehomet in Ukraine, two port cities in Turkey, and Jericho in Palestine.