New Delhi: A day after the Labour Party’s landslide victory in the UK elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, agreeing to work towards swiftly concluding a free trade agreement.
On Friday, Starmer took over as Prime Minister ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule. The Labour Party won 411 Seats, which is over two-thirds of the seats in the UK parliament.
While Modi had earlier tweeted wishes to Starmer, they had a phone call on Saturday. The new UK prime minister has been fielding congratulatory calls from all over the world.
The readout of the phone call from both foreign offices stated that the under-negotiation FTA was raised in the talks.
“The two leaders agreed to work towards an early conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-UK Free Trade Agreement,” said the MEA press note.
Similarly, the UK PM’s office stated that Starmer “stood ready to conclude a deal that worked for both sides”.
Since 2022, India and the UK have been engaged in negotiations for a free trade agreement, which London has been seeking since its separation from the European Union. The 14th round of the FTA negotiations was held in April, just before the start of the Indian elections.
As the Indian ambassador to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said recently, the main issue for India has been to ease intra-company transfers to allow professionals to work in the UK. The UK has pushed to secure increased access to the Indian services market and reductions in tariffs on products such as whiskey and automobiles.
Besides, both leaders congratulated each other on their respective electoral victories.
While the Indian Prime Minister secured a third term, his party fell short of a majority, unlike in the previous two elections.
According to a statement from the ministry of external affairs (MEA), both leaders acknowledged the longstanding bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UK.
The UK foreign office said that in the context of the Indian diaspora in the UK and the 2030 Roadmap for improving ties, the leaders “agreed there was a wide range of areas across defence and security, critical and emerging technology, and climate change, for the two countries to deepen cooperation on”.
Further, the Indian Prime Minister extended an invitation to Starmer to visit India at the earliest opportunity.
The two foreign ministers also had their separate conversation, with the new UK foreign secretary David Lammy stating that the two countries “share a unique friendship with deep connections between our people, business, and culture”.
