U.Okay. Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Mumbai, early on Wednesday (October 8, 2025) morning, for a two-day go to, with a delegation of 125 folks, together with CEOs and representatives from British institutes, universities and business teams. The go to comes months after India and the U.Okay. signed a commerce deal throughout Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s July go to to the European nation. It additionally comes as each nations are navigating main geopolitical shifts, together with their respective buying and selling relationships with the U.S., underneath the administration of Donald Trump.
The go to is targeted on commerce and enterprise, with No.10 Downing Avenue calling it a “two-day commerce mission to Mumbai”. The U.Okay. delegation will embody the Minister for commerce and enterprise, Peter Kyle, in addition to funding minister Jason Stockwood.
“It’s not only a piece of paper, it’s a launchpad for progress,” Mr. Starmer stated concerning the Complete Financial and Commerce Settlement (CETA).
The go to can even contain bilateral discussions on regional and world points, the Indian authorities had stated on Saturday. These talks– scheduled for Thursday (October 9, 2025), could be geared toward additional strengthening the bilateral relationship, together with by way of a tech partnership, the Know-how Safety Initiative launched in July 2024, in response to a press release from the U.Okay. authorities.
The leaders can even take inventory of the India-U.Okay. relationship, reframed throughout Mr. Modi’s go to to the U.Okay. in the summertime, as being guided by ‘Imaginative and prescient 2035’, a ten-year roadmap spanning a spread of dimensions — from commerce and local weather to training, know-how and people-to-people ties.
Since Mr. Starmer took over the management of the Labour Social gathering in 2020, Labour has sought to redefine its relationship with India, after ties frayed over positions the get together had taken on India and Pakistan and the Kashmir problem. For the Modi authorities, one other problem with the U.Okay.— throughout governments in Downing Avenue— has been reaching a standard understanding on the dangers to Indian personnel and property within the U.Okay. from Khalistani separatists working in Britain. The signing of the commerce deal and articulation of Imaginative and prescient 2035 in July have been outcomes of each side selecting to reset ties.
On Thursday, Mr. Modi and Mr. Starmer will ship keynote addresses on the International Fintech Fest in Mumbai and have interaction with enterprise leaders, in response to a authorities press launch.
Below the commerce deal, the U.Okay. has eliminated tariffs on 99% of merchandise. Nevertheless, it will influence a smaller proportion, 45% (or $6.5 billion), of Indian exports to the U.Okay., in response to the International Commerce Initiative. The objects impacted embody textiles, footwear, seafood, vehicles and many others.
For the U.Okay. one of many large wins from CETA has been within the alcoholic drinks sector.
“The historic commerce deal the U.Okay. Authorities struck with India this 12 months is nice information for Scotland and particularly our whisky business. However having secured the deal our problem and accountability now could be to place this deal into motion,” Secretary of State for Scotland, Douglas Alexander stated.
“That requires implementation of the deal by the governments of India and the U.Okay., and the utilisation of the deal by British and Indian companies,” Mr. Alexander added. Below the deal, tariffs on Scoth Whiskey will fall from 150% to 75% instantly and additional drop to 40% over ten years.
The commerce deal has not but been operationalized and is making its approach via the British legislative system — a course of that will take months. The deal is unlikely to be carried out anytime earlier than early 2026, in response to sources aware of the method.
“Britain means enterprise. We need to enhance bilateral commerce, enterprise and funding between our two nations,” Karan Billimoria, a member of the Home of Lords and founding father of Cobra Beer, advised The Hindu on Tuesday (October 7).
Mr. Billimoria, who used to move the Confederation of British Trade (CBI), believes the go to is extra than simply symbolic and thinks India and the U.Okay. will double their bilateral commerce within the subsequent 5 years. The full bilateral commerce in items and companies for the 12 months ending March 31 was valued at £44.1 billion ($59.14 billion), in response to official knowledge from the U.Okay.
Whereas India is the U.Okay.’s eleventh largest commerce associate and the commerce deal is predicted to contribute a rise of simply 0.13% to the U.Okay.’s GDP over the long-term (the equal of £4.8 billion yearly), the settlement with India has been repeatedly cited by Mr. Starmer and his colleagues for instance of job-creation. The commerce deal is predicted to extend U.Okay. exports to India by 60%, Downing Avenue stated.
Posting an image of himself on social media with tens of others from his delegation, pouring out of the plane that introduced them to Mumbai, Mr. Starmer stated he was on a mission “to ship for folks again at dwelling”.
The Labour authorities faces vital financial challenges within the U.Okay. , together with low productiveness, excessive nationwide debt, and weak financial progress. It has additionally tightened the screws on migration – together with the motion of expert and documented staff into the U.Okay., pressured partially by anti-migrant coverage guarantees from the Conservatives and nativist Reform U.Okay. Social gathering. Lately, India has topped the checklist of nations whose residents get essentially the most expert employee visas.
“Different nations are actively competing for a similar pool of expert expertise, and perceptions of openness can considerably form funding selections,” a spokesperson for the U.Okay. India Enterprise Council (UKIBC), an business physique, stated when requested how concerning the steps the federal government has taken to chop expert authorized migration.
The physique, which is represented in Mr Starmer’s delegation, stated it acknowledged the British authorities’s intent to handle migration in a approach that supported nationwide priorities. A spokesperson for the UKIBC stated {that a} “balanced and predictable” migration framework that welcomes expertise in sectors with excessive demand would make sure the U.Okay. remained a prime vacation spot for funding.
The delegation additionally contains the CBI, Rolls-Royce, British Airways, banks resembling Customary Chartered, Barclays, NatWest and HSBC; alcoholic beverage firm Diageo; engineering agency Arup and telecom firm BT.
Printed – October 08, 2025 06:00 am IST
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