MUMBAI, India: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited India this week, accompanied by more than a hundred business, cultural, and academic leaders, as London looks to deepen ties and promote its newly signed trade agreement with New Delhi.
Britain and India signed the free trade agreement (FTA) in July during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London. The pact cuts tariffs on goods including textiles, whisky, and cars, while expanding market access for companies in both countries.
Negotiations concluded in May after three years of on-and-off talks, accelerated by concerns over global tariff tensions triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.
The deal between the world’s fifth and sixth-largest economies aims to boost bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds (US$34 billion) by 2040. The UK government said this target represents a minimum benchmark, not a cap, and Starmer’s visit is designed to help maximise what is Britain’s largest post-Brexit trade agreement.
“It’s not just a piece of paper, it’s a launchpad for growth,” Starmer said this week, noting that India is projected to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2028. “The opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled.”
Starmer met Modi in New Delhi on Thursday for bilateral talks. Both sides aim to ratify the trade pact within the next year.
The UK delegation included senior executives from BP, Rolls-Royce, and BT, along with representatives from Diageo and the Scotch Whisky Association. The trade deal will gradually reduce tariffs on British whisky exports from 150 percent to 75 percent, before bringing them down to 40 percent over the next decade, a long-standing demand from UK distillers.
British Airways, owned by IAG, said it will add a third daily flight from London Heathrow to Delhi in 2026. Manchester Airport also announced a new Delhi route, to be operated by IndiGo.
Starmer’s two-day visit which concluded on Friday came as his government prioritises economic growth amid a challenging fiscal outlook. A November budget is expected to detail the scale of Britain’s financial constraints.