MUMBAI: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in India on Wednesday to strengthen economic ties following the recent landmark free trade agreement between both nations.
Starmer’s first official visit to India includes a 125-member delegation featuring top business leaders like British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle.
This two-day trip follows his July meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in London where they signed the trade accord.
Starmer will meet Modi on Thursday and jointly address a fintech conference in Mumbai alongside the Indian leader.
“With India set to be the third biggest economy in the world by 2028, and trade with them about to become quicker and cheaper, the opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled,“ Starmer stated.
India and Britain rank as the world’s fifth- and sixth-largest economies with bilateral trade valued at approximately $54.8 billion.
The visit will reaffirm the shared vision of both countries to build a forward-looking partnership according to India’s foreign ministry.
Under the new agreement, India will reduce tariffs on British imports including whisky, cosmetics and medical devices.
Britain will correspondingly lower duties on Indian clothing, footwear and food products such as frozen prawns.
Starmer however ruled out expanding visa access for Indian professionals despite industry pressure.
“That isn’t part of the plan,“ he told reporters during his flight to Mumbai.
“We’re here now to take advantage of the free trade agreement that we’ve already struck.”
Rights groups have urged Starmer to raise the case of Scottish Sikh blogger Jagtar Singh Johal who has been detained in India since 2017.
Johal faces allegations of plotting to kill right-wing Hindu leaders but has not been convicted, with one of nine charges dismissed in March. – AFP
