Italy–United Kingdom relations
United Kingdom |
Italy |
---|---|
Diplomatic mission | |
Embassy of the United Kingdom, Rome | Embassy of Italy, London |
Envoy | |
Ambassador Edward Llewellyn | Ambassador Inigo Lambertini |
The bilateral relations between the Italian Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are warm and exceptionally strong.[1] This relationship is also known as Anglo–Italian relations.
The Italian ambassador to the United Kingdom is Inigo Lambertini since the 6th of October 2022,[2]and the British ambassador to Italy is Edward Llewellyn since February 2022.
Country comparison
Italy | United Kingdom | |
---|---|---|
Flag | ||
Coat of arms | ||
Population | 60,317,116 (2020 estimate) | 67,081,000 (2020 estimate)[3] |
Area | 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) | 243,610 km2 (94,060 sq mi) |
Population density | 201.3/km2 (521.4/sq mi) | 255.6/km2 (661.9/sq mi) |
Capital | Rome | London |
Largest city | Rome – 2,860,009 (4,342,212 Metro) | London – 8,982,000 (14,370,000 Metro) |
Government | constitutional republic
|
Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Current Leader | President Sergio Mattarella
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni |
King Charles III
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak |
Military | Italian Armed Forces | British Armed Forces |
Official languages | Italian | English |
Main religions | 84.4% Christianity, 11.6% No religion, 1.0% Islam, 3.0% Others[4] | 59.4% Christianity, 25.7% No religion, 7.8% Unstated, 4.4% Islam, 1.3% Hinduism, 0.7% Sikhism, 0.4% Judaism, 0.4% Buddhism (2011 Census) |
Ethnic groups | 91.3% | 87% White (81.9% White British), 7% Asian British (2.3% Indian, 1.9% Pakistani, 0.7% Bangladeshi, 0.7% Chinese, 1.4% Asian Other), 3% Black, 2% Mixed Race (2011 Census) |
GDP (nominal) | US$2.106 trillion ($34,997 per capita) | US$3.124 trillion ($46,344 per capita) |
History
Diplomatic relations between Britain and Italy predate both
Later, the Court of St. James hosted ambassadors from various states of the Italian peninsula, including those of the
Twentieth century
Italy and Britain concluded the
The initial Corfu incident did little to endear Italo-British relations. Italy occupied the Greek island of Corfu following a disputed killing of Italian arbitrators on the mission to more clearly define the Greco-Albanian border. The conference of Ambassadors that followed was seen as Mussolini's first diplomatic victory, where Italy was granted concessions from Greece, including paving the way for the secession of Jubaland from Britain in modern-day Somalia.
Relations finally broke down following the
With Italy and Germany increasingly facilitating cooperation, Britain made an attempt to prevent Italy from further drifting into Germany's sphere of influence. On April 16, 1938, Italy and Britain signed the Easter Accords, which helped to obtain consensus over the status quo in the Arabian peninsula, uphold freedom of navigation in the Suez, and to preserve the peace between their colonial possessions in East Africa. Ethiopia was conveniently not named in the agreements. This ultimately proved to be insufficient in reattaining the previously friendly attitude between the two Empires.[11]
Owing to Mussolini's
The United Kingdom and Italy now enjoy a warm and friendly relationship.
The current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, has a good relationship with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni. They have met several times, both in London and Rome, and at international summits. Most recently, Prime Minister Sunak attended the right-wing political festival "Atreju" hosted by Meloni, which was also attended by Elon Musk.[13]
Cultural relations
Between 4 and 5 million British tourists visit Italy every year, while 1 million Italian tourists visit the UK.[14] There are about 30,000 British nationals living in Italy, and 342,000 Italians living in the UK.[15][16]
In 2011, 7,100 Italian students were studying in UK universities, this is the seventh-highest figure amongst EU countries and fifteenth globally.[17] However, the number of Italian students attending UK universities has decreased steadily since Britain's exit from the European Union in 2020 (although EU students could still enrol at UK universities paying the standard UK fee until 2021).
Economic relations
Following Brexit, Trade between the United Kingdom and Italy is governed by the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement since 1 January 2021.[20][21]
Multilateral organizations
Both nations are members of the
Resident diplomatic missions
- Italy has an embassy in London, a consulate-general in Edinburgh and a consulate in Manchester.
- United Kingdom has an embassy in Rome, a consulate-general in Milan and a consulate in Naples.
-
Embassy of Italy in London
-
Embassy of the United Kingdom in Rome
See also
- List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to Italy
- Foreign relations of the United Kingdom
- Foreign relations of Italy
- Italians in the United Kingdom
- Holy See–United Kingdom Relations(including its history as the Papal States)
- European Union–United Kingdom relations
References
- ^ "British Embassy Rome". gov.uk. United Kingdom - Government. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Inigo Lambertini is the new Italian Ambassador in London – Ambasciata d'Italia a Londra". amblondra.esteri.it. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ "UK Population Estimates ( June 2021) - Office of National Statistics".
- ^ "Special Eurobarometer 516". European Union: European Commission. September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021 – via European Data Portal (see Volume C: Country/socio-demographics: IT: Question D90.2.).
- ^ "Tuttitalia".
- ^ D.E.D. Beales, England and Italy, 1859-60 (1961).
- ^ Marcella Pellegrino Sutcliffe, "Marketing ‘Garibaldi panoramas’ in Britain (1860–1864)." Journal of Modern Italian Studies 18.2 (2013): 232-243.
- ^ a b Kington, Tom (2009-10-13). "Recruited by MI5: the name's Mussolini. Benito MussoliniDocuments reveal Italian dictator got start in politics in 1917 with help of £100 weekly wage from MI5". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- ^ a b Lamb, Richard (1997). Mussolini and the British. John Murray. p. 141.
- '^ James C. Robertson, “The Origins of British Opposition to Mussolini over Ethiopia.” Journal of British Studies , vol. 9, no. 1, 1969, pp. 122–142. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/175172
- ^ Miller, Dawn Marie (1997). "Italy Through the Looking Glass: Aspects of British Policy and Intelligence Concerning Italy, 1939-1941" (PDF). National Library of Canada. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
- ^ R.J.B. Bosworth, Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Fascist Dictatorship, 1915–1945 (2007)
- ^ "Rishi Sunak plans appearance at rightwing Italian premier's political festival". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ Italy Country Profile, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Italian nationals population UK 2021". Statista. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ "International students in UK higher education: key statistics". UK Council for International Student Affairs. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
- ^ "English Players in Italy". RSSSF.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^ "Edoardo Bosio and Football in Turin". Life in Italy. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^ "UK and EU agree Brexit trade deal". GOV.UK. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Brexit: Landmark UK-EU trade deal to be signed". BBC News. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Embassy of Italy in London: Political Cooperation
Further reading
- Baldoli, Claudia. Exporting fascism: Italian fascists and Britain's Italians in the 1930s (Oxford: Berg, 2003).
- Edwards, Peter G. "Britain, Mussolini and the 'Locarno-Geneva System'." European History Quarterly 10.1 (1980): 1–16.
- Hayes, Paul. Modern British Foreign Policy: The Nineteenth Century 1814-80 (1975) pp. 194–212.
- Horn, David Bayne. Great Britain and Europe in the eighteenth century (1967), covers 1603 to 1702; pp 327–51.
- Morewood, Steven, "Anglo-Italian Rivalry in the Mediterranean and Middle East, 1935–1940." in Robert Boyce, Esmonde M. Robertson, eds. Paths to War (Macmillan Education UK, 1989). pp 167–198.
- O'Connor, Maura. The romance of Italy and the English political imagination (Macmillan, 1998).
- Robertson, James C. “The Origins of British Opposition to Mussolini over Ethiopia.” Journal of British Studies 9#1 1969, pp. 122–142. online
- Podmore, Will. Britain, Italy, Germany and the Spanish Civil War (Edwin Mellen Press, 1998).
- Schwegman, Marjan. "In Love with Garibaldi: Romancing the Italian Risorgimento." European Review of History 12.2 (2005): 383–401.
- Villani, Stefano. Making Italy Anglican: Why the Book of Common Prayer Was Translated into Italian (New York: Oxford University Press, 2022).
- Wright, Owain. "British foreign policy and the Italian occupation of Rome, 1870." International History Review 34.1 (2012): 161–176.