British Foreign Secretary Lammy visits India to accelerate trade talks

UK Foreign Secretary visits India to boost trade deal ambitions

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in New Delhi yesterday on a two-day visit to accelerate negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement between India and the UK. Lammy, accompanied by a business delegation, aims to accelerate discussions on the proposed trade pact while exploring ways to deepen cooperation in key areas such as clean energy and emerging technologies.

In remarks ahead of the trip, Lammy stressed that concluding an India-UK FTA is just the starting point, not the ceiling, for ambitions to unleash shared economic potential. He pointed out that both countries have much to gain from closer economic alignment, given India’s prominence as a global powerhouse and the UK’s strengths in areas such as innovation, sustainability and business.

High-level talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other government officials will focus on ironing out lingering issues to enable an early conclusion of the trade deal. Issues around import duties on cars, alcoholic beverages and visas for skilled professionals are said to be the main sticking points that need to be resolved. Lammy will also seek to ‘reset’ the broad partnership through new collaborations focused on climate action, digitalisation and security cooperation.

On the sidelines, the Foreign Secretary is scheduled to meet business leaders and visit a major Indian technology company. This will provide an opportunity to explore win-win partnerships between British and Indian companies and highlight how their combined strengths can address pressing global issues.

Overall, the aim of the visit is to inject fresh momentum into the FTA talks while paving the way for closer alignment on a wide range of mutual priority areas. As two influential democracies on the global stage, concluding ambitious agreements will significantly boost India-UK bilateral relations in the years to come.