UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai during his first official visit to India. The high-profile two-day trade mission includes the largest UK delegation to India to date—over 100 CEOs, entrepreneurs, university leaders, and cultural figures—aimed at deepening bilateral ties.
Modi welcomed the visit as “historic,” as both sides build on a landmark UK-India trade agreement signed in July. The deal is already credited with generating £1 billion in investment and nearly 7,000 jobs in the UK, even before full implementation.
The agreement will significantly reduce tariffs, with India’s average duties on UK goods dropping from 15% to 3%. The UK will also cut taxes on Indian products like textiles, jewellery, and seafood, while India will ease import duties on Scotch whisky, cosmetics, and luxury vehicles. The deal is projected to increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion annually and add £25.5 billion to bilateral trade by 2040.
Cultural ties also received a boost, as Starmer announced that Yash Raj Films will produce three Bollywood films in the UK from 2026.
Despite strong opposition to the UK’s proposed digital ID system, Starmer met digital ID pioneer Nandan Nilekani, reaffirming the government’s commitment to the policy.
Leave a Reply