UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai to strengthen trade, defense, and technology cooperation between India and the United Kingdom. Image: NDTV.
(The Post News) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met in Mumbai on Thursday to enhance cooperation on defence, trade, technology, and education. The meeting also promoted a historic UK-India free trade agreement signed in July 2024, which will deliver massive economic growth to both nations.
Starmer’s two-day visit was his first to India since he took office and included the UK’s largest ever business delegation of over 125 industry, academic, and cultural leaders.
Trade and Investment Take Center Stage
The two heads of state committed to making the trade deal deliver in a year, with the aim of increasing trade by £25.5 billion ($34 billion) by 2040. The agreement will lower tariffs on Scotch whisky, English gin, Indian fabrics, and spices, and increase market access for British and Indian companies.
This trade agreement is a platform for a new generation of UK-India relations,” Starmer claimed. “We are opening the door to British innovation and Indian enterprise to flourish hand in hand.” Modi referred to the deal as “a symbol of stability in an uncertain world,” stating, “India and the UK are natural partners in building a future based on technology, trust, and trade.
The two nations signed a new defence agreement to enable Britain to provide India with missiles, launchers, and electric propulsion warship engines. They also inaugurated a joint connectivity and innovation hub and an industry guild of strategic minerals for safeguarding supply chains and green technologies.
Both leaders underscored collaboration on artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and climate resilience, thus establishing the two nations as innovation partners for the coming decade.
In a major boost for education, nine British universities, including Lancaster and Surrey, have received approval to set up campuses in India. The initiative will prove to be an economic stimulus of £50 million for the UK economy and allow more Indian students to benefit from British education.
I am delighted that more Indian students will be able to learn alongside top UK universities here in India shortly,” said Starmer. “It deepens our educational relationship and opens opportunities for both countries.”
The leaders also talked about Indo-Pacific security, the war in Ukraine, and the Gaza crisis. Starmer reaffirmed Britain’s backing for peace in Ukraine and said he had spoken with Modi about India’s continued Russian oil imports.
“We each outlined the steps we’re taking to end the conflict,” Starmer said. Modi emphasized the importance of “dialogue and diplomacy” to resolve global disputes. Starmer also raised the detention of British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, detained in India since 2017, urging a “just resolution.”
A Symbolic Visit with Economic Impact
Starmer’s trip to Mumbai was welcomed with open arms, with banners and billboards of both leaders filling the streets. He also met with India’s creator of the digital ID system, Nandan Nilekani, before the UK rolled out its own variant to cope with employment checks.
The British government announced that the trade agreement has already brought in £1 billion of investment and 7,000 jobs under the agreement. The UK will reduce tariffs on Indian fashion clothing, jewellery, and seafood, while India will reduce tariffs on luxury cars, cosmetics, and medical equipment.
Both countries aim to double bilateral trade, now worth about $56 billion, before 2030. Modi said the visit reflected “the new energy and broad vision in India-UK relations,” while Starmer described the partnership as “a cornerstone for global progress.”
“India’s dynamism and the UK’s expertise make a powerful combination,” Modi said. “Together, we’re building a future of innovation and shared prosperity.”
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