Keir Starmer Ready to Conclude UK-India Free Trade Agreement

Britain's new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, expressed readiness to finalize a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India during a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both countries have been negotiating the FTA for over two years. The talks, previously stalled, are now expected to resume under the new Labour government.

Britain's newly-elected Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday morning, conveying his readiness to finalize a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that would benefit both nations, according to Downing Street.

The FTA talks, which have been ongoing for over two years under a Conservative Party-led government, stalled during the 14th round due to general election cycles in both countries. The negotiations are now set to resume under Starmer's new Labour-led administration, which came to power with a significant mandate this week.

Downing Street indicated that the discussion with Modi was part of Starmer's broader outreach in the Indo-Pacific region, with subsequent calls to leaders of Japan and Australia. A spokesperson from Downing Street mentioned the leaders exchanged congratulations on their electoral victories and emphasized the strong relationship between the UK and India. Starmer expressed his eagerness to conclude a mutually beneficial FTA, and both leaders hoped to meet soon to advance the discussions. The ongoing efforts aim to build on the GBP 38.1 billion bilateral trading partnership, initially pursued since January 2022 during Boris Johnson's premiership.

(With inputs from agencies.)