Home Office: Malta (MAL Symbol Series) Files

HO 364

1953-1957

Files from the MAL (Malta) series on the proposed transfer of responsibility for Malta from the Colonial Office to the Home Office, to be administered on the same basis as the Channel Islands or fully integrated within the United Kingdom.

In numerical order by departmental file number.

MAL Symbol file series

Public Record(s)

English

3 file(s)

Topics

International

Europe and Russia

An offer was made by the British government to transfer responsibility for Maltese affairs from the Colonial Office to the Home Office. This offer, published in December 1953, was made in response to the request from the Prime Minister of Malta for Dominion status for his country with Maltese affairs henceforth handled by the Commonwealth Relations Office. This Home Office offer, as it came to be known, was not considered adequate and was succeeded by the idea (propounded by the Malta Labour Party) of integration with the United Kingdom, namely the gradual incorporation of Malta into the political, financial and social structure of the UK whilst retaining its local autonomy and legislature. This proposition was the subject of the Malta Round Table Conference convened by the British government in 1955, as well as the referendum held in Malta in February 1956.