Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing diplomatic relations with the Sovereign Order of Malta.

We recognise the important global role of the Sovereign Order of Malta, including its extensive humanitarian work, particularly in the Middle East and supporting Ukraine, and its efforts to promote interreligious dialogue. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met then-Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager at the UK-hosted International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in July 2022 to hear about the Order's work in these areas. The British Embassy to the Holy See also engages with the Order on an informal basis. We keep our policy on how we engage with the Sovereign Order of Malta under review.