Protecting the interest of domestic players, India has kept demands of Britain on data related issues and giving any kind of duty concessions on dairy sector out of the ambit of the proposed free trade agreement being negotiated between the two countries, sources said. However, India is looking at providing duty concessions on auto, and certain confectionery items, they said. The negotiation for the agreement has reached a critical stage and in all likelihood it could be concluded by October end or November. The talks received a great impetus due to the recent visit of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal to London in July, where both held a series of meetings with different stakeholders including senior British officials. The negotiation would get a further fillip during the meetings of trade ministers of India and the UK at the sidelines of G20 trade ministers meeting this month in Jaipur. "The visit of the Indian minister and secreta
Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS, England, said he believed that both countries face many challenges in healthcare and they have many opportunities too
New Delhi sees an FTA with Britain as crucial to hopes of becoming a bigger exporter, while the UK would obtain wider access for its whisky, premium cars and legal services
British Airways currently operate 54 flights per week connecting Mumbai and Delhi with London
They also made up the largest group of students granted visas under the new Graduate post-study work route, representing 41% of grants
As much as 60 per cent of Indian exports to the country are already tariff free, while only three per cent of UK exports to India are tariff free
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and agreed to expedite progress to resolve outstanding issues in the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations. In a readout of the call between the two leaders, Downing Street said that Sunak reiterated his condemnation of the unacceptable violence outside the Indian High Commission in London last month and updated Modi on the steps being taken to ensure the security of Indian diplomatic staff. The leaders agreed to follow up their discussions at the G7 meeting in Japan next month and the G20 Summit being hosted by India later in the year. The leaders reflected on the close friendship between the two countries, and agreed great progress was being made on the 2030 UK-India Roadmap," a Downing Street spokesperson said. "Discussing ongoing negotiations on a UK-India Free Trade Agreement, the leaders reflected on the huge opportunities a deal would offer to Indian and British businesses and ...
In a bid to bring negotiations back on track, the UK Home Office is planning to make an announcement in the coming weeks and a crackdown on Sikh extremists
At the conclusion of the seventh round of India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and ahead of the eighth round scheduled in New Delhi next month, a senior industry expert in the UK believes there are encouraging signs of appetite on both sides to agree a deal and fully utilise its benefits. Syma Cullasy-Aldridge is the Chief Campaigns Director at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and has just returned after leading the group's first-ever business delegation to New Delhi and Mumbai aimed at unlocking opportunities of a potential FTA. The Indian-origin campaigns chief for the industry body, which speaks on behalf of 190,000 UK businesses of all sizes and sectors, described the visit as really, really brilliant in highlighting the immense scope for partnership and collaboration across key sectors. What really struck me was the opportunity and appetite on both sides for collaboration and partnership around key sectors like green finance, innovation and new technology
The United Kingdom on Thursday expressed its greetings for India's 74th Republic Day with a personal message from the country's foreign minister James Cleverly to his Indian counterpart, Dr S. Jaishankar. UK Foreign Secretary Cleverly took to Twitter to wish his friend and the people of India on the celebration of the day India adopted its Constitution to become a Republic. Happy Republic Day to my friend Dr Jaishankar and the people of India. We look forward to another year of friendship and cooperation! #RepublicDay2023, tweeted Cleverly. The Indian High Commission in London held its customary flag-hoisting ceremony at India House on Thursday morning. The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, addressed the diaspora gathering to convey the speech of Indian President Droupadi Murmu. The Indian Constitution is a pretty remarkable document in itself. But also because it created at its get-go an equality of expectation among every citizen of India, regardless of race,
Britain's trade minister in charge of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with India says clinching a high-quality deal is among her top priorities for the year, while admitting the talks had hit a "bit of an impasse which she broke by flying to New Delhi last month. In a speech addressing business leaders at Lancaster House in London on Tuesday, UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch insisted the FTA talks are now back on track. It comes after the Diwali 2022 deadline for the FTA set by former prime minister Boris Johnson was missed last October amid political turmoil in Britain. "Some of you will know I was a software engineer and a systems analyst before I became a politician. That means I'm a problem solver at heart, said Badenoch. "So when our Indian trade talks hit a bit of an impasse, I didn't pick up the phone, I got on a plane. That deal's not done yet, but it's back on track, she said. Badenoch was in New Delhi in early December to hold talks with her counterpart, Commerce
The MEA statement said that India and the UK share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations
Both sides discussed issues like trade and economic cooperation, defence and security, science and technology, people-to-people relationship, health and climate change
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Sixth round of negotiations begins in New Delhi after a four-month hiatus
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reiterated the UK's commitment to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India as part of the country's wider focus on enhancing ties with the Indo-Pacific region. Delivering a talk Monday night at the Lord Mayor of London's Banquet -- his first major foreign policy speech since taking charge at 10 Downing Street last month -- the British-Indian leader reflected upon his heritage and committed to promoting British values of "freedom and openness" around the world. He also pledged to "do things differently" when it came to China, which he said poses a "systemic challenge" to British values and interests. "Before I came into politics, I invested in businesses around the world. And the opportunity in the Indo-Pacific is compelling," said Sunak. "By 2050, the Indo-Pacific will deliver over half of global growth compared with just a quarter from Europe and North America combined. That's why we're joining the Trans-Pacific trade deal, the CPTPP, deliveri
UK India Business Council MD lists four "Ps" to explains why he is confident the deal will happen
The draft has also proposed to prohibit pre-grant oppositions, which means that India will not be able to stop challenges to weak/invalid patents until after they have been granted
The Ukraine conflict and the situation in Indo-Pacific figured prominently in talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and visiting British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Cleverly arrived in India on Friday on a two-day visit primarily to attend a special meeting of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee. "Delighted to welcome UK Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly on his first India visit; shortly after our meeting in New York last month," Jaishankar tweeted. "Noted the progress in our Roadmap 2030. Also discussed the Ukraine conflict and the Indo-Pacific," he added. It is the first visit by a top-ranking official from Britain after Rishi Sunak took charge as the UK's first Indian-origin prime minister on Tuesday. During the visit, the British foreign secretary announced further collaboration between the UK and India through British International Investment. This included 11 million Pound of UK funding invested in Kinara Capital, a woman-led fintech comp
No discussion on immigration visas, says Greg Hands in response to question about another minister's controversial comment