Theresa May not to meet Tata Steel execs, govt to bring up immigration woes

British Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in India on Sunday, for a three-day visit aimed at enhancing Indo-UK ties in the key areas of trade, investment, defence, and security. This is her first bilateral visit post Brexit outside Europe. She is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

Here is a quick look into Theresa May's agenda in India.

UK-Tata Steel future

Theresa May won't meet any executives from Tata Steel Ltd but talks about the future of its British steel operations are still going on. In March, Tata Steel put its British steel operations on sale following heavy losses linked to a flood of cheap Chinese imports and low demand in the region. The process was suspended in July because of uncertainty following the June Brexit vote.

Avoiding IT big-shots in Bengaluru

British Prime Minister Theresa May will skip Bengaluru’s famous software companies. She will, instead, visit Dynamatics Technologies — an aerospace and hydraulic pumps manufacturer, which has three factories in the UK generating jobs there — when she visits Bengaluru on Tuesday. Dynamatics is a respected supplier of systems for Boeing and Airbus, besides Hindustan Aeronautics.

Indo-UK tech summit

As reported earlier, the British Prime Minister will inaugurate the first Indo-UK tech summit at Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi. The British delegation includes prominent British-Indian business personalities like Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of Kromek Group, Nik Kotecha, CEO of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, and Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

Business agenda

India and UK will sign a landmark agreement to improve the intellectual property landscape in India with a programme of co-operation between the UK Intellectual Property Office and India's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. 

UK will also commit to extending assistance to India to improve the business environment by providing advice on reducing regulation, tax and public administration standards, and insolvency. 

Launch of India-UK Urban Partnership on smart cities and urban development which could unlock new business worth up to 2 billion pounds to British business over the next five years.

Summits to look out for

There will four UK-India summits during Theresa May's visit. They are, India-UK Higher Education Summit, the India-UK Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summit, the India-UK Design Summit and the India-UK Intellectual Property Rights Summit.

Immigration woes

India will raise the issue of difficulties being faced by Indian students in the UK. UK government’s refusal to recognise India’s concerns about London toughening immigration rules for Indian students and workers could nip any potential trade deal in the bud.