British PM Keir Starmer calls for quicker UK-India FTA implementation

On the first day of his two-day India visit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wants the UK-India free trade agreement (FTA) implemented “as soon as humanly possible”, but made clear he would resist business demands to allow more highly skilled Indian workers into the UK.

 

Speaking to journalists on a flight from London to Mumbai, Starmer said easing visa restrictions “isn’t part of the plans” under the FTA. Several businesses have warned the UK that its efforts to curb immigration could worsen labour shortages.

 

“The visa situation hasn’t changed with the FTA. We didn’t open up more visas,” he said. “The issue is not visas. It’s business-to-business engagement, investment, jobs, and prosperity coming into the UK.”

 

Over 100 business leaders are accompanying him on the trip.

 

Starmer’s comments run counter to expectations in New Delhi, where officials believe increased trade would lead to more opportunities for Indians to work in the UK. Government sources cited the July 2022 health sector cooperation agreement supporting the recruitment and training of nurses and allied health professionals.

 

By June 2023, of 1.51 million National Health Service staff, 60,533 were from India, including 31,992 Indian nurses and 11,499 clinical support staff.

 

Education and skill development agreements currently allow 3,000 young professionals from each country to live and work in the other for up to two years. India also opened new consulates in Manchester and Belfast in March 2025.

 

Indian and British companies employ more than 650,000 people in each other’s countries. However, the number of Indian students heading to the UK fell from 136,921 in 2023 to 98,890 in 2024, according to a July 24 Lok Sabha reply.

 

Several UK universities are setting up campuses in India, including Queen’s University of Belfast and University of Surrey.

 

After landing in Mumbai, Starmer visited Yash Raj Films studio, meeting producers. He announced Indian production houses would shoot at least three Hindi films in the UK, creating over 3,000 jobs. A cooperation agreement between the British Film Institute and India’s National Film Development Commission will be signed.

 

He then attended a football showcase with Michael Owen at Cooperage Ground, noting no business leaders had raised visa issues. Later, at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel, he urged delegates to “seize the opportunities” and share their trip outcomes on the flight home.

 

Asked about Narendra Modi wishing Vladimir Putin on his birthday, Starmer said, “Just for the record, I haven’t sent birthday congratulations to Putin.”

 

British Airways, coinciding with the visit, announced an additional London–Delhi flight in 2026. The British government expects the FTA to raise bilateral trade by £25.5 billion and UK GDP by £4.8 billion annually.

 

On Thursday, Starmer and Modi will meet at Raj Bhavan, address the CEO Forum at Jio World Centre, and speak at the Global Fintech Fest 2025.