New Delhi: Just three weeks after taking office, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Wednesday, July 24, formally launched the Technology Security Initiative and called for deepening strategic ties during a flying visit to India. However, he demurred from setting a deadline for achieving a free trade agreement.
Earlier this month, the Labour Party returned to power in the UK after 14 years, winning 411 seats in the 650-member UK parliament.
Straight from Laos after attending an ASEAN meeting, Lammy arrived in Delhi on Wednesday morning and was received by senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and UK High Commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron.
The visit is significant as it marks the first under the Labour government, which previously had a contentious relationship with India due to its focus on human rights issues. The lowest point had been when the Labour Party convention passed a resolution in 2019 supporting self-determination in Kashmir.
Lammy had earlier signed a letter with other MPs addressed to the UN Secretary-General seeking intervention after India diluted Article 370 in 2019 but had not publicly advocated any such position since then. In the run-up to the July election, Labour leader Keir Starmer had made considerable outreach to the Indian community. As Shadow Foreign Secretary, Lammy had already visited Delhi earlier this year to mend ties, part of efforts to improve contacts between the two sides.
Also read: FTA, Strategic Ties, Security: What’s on the Table as New UK Foreign Secretary Travels to India?
At the end of the two-day visit, the UK Foreign Office stated that the Lammy had formally announced UK-India Technology Security Initiative, which had been finalised by the National Security Advisors.
As per the readout, the initiative would allow the two countries to “work together on the defining technologies of this decade – telecoms, critical minerals, AI, quantum, health/bio tech, advanced materials and semiconductors”.
Additionally, a new seven-million-pound funding call for Future Telecoms research was announced by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and India’s Department of Science and Technology, under the India-UK science, technology, and innovation partnership.
Following his meeting with the visiting British Foreign Secretary, the Indian Prime Minister signalled India’s commitment to finalising a “mutually beneficial FTA.”
A pleasure to meet UK FS @DavidLammy. Appreciate the priority accorded by PM @Keir_Starmer to broaden and deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Remain committed to elevating the ties. Welcome the bilateral Technology Security Initiative and the desire to conclude a… pic.twitter.com/7bGWZuJlOk
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 24, 2024
India began negotiating a free trade agreement with the UK in January 2022, but it has gone past numerous deadlines for completion. The Labour government promised in its election manifesto “to seek a new strategic partnership with India, including a free trade agreement”.
Lammy asserted that the free trade agreement had to be “win-win,” but he refused to set a target. “…the (previous) government set successive targets and miss them. So I’m not going to set a target,” he said in an interview to NDTV.
The previous Conservative government had promoted the possibility of securing a free trade deal in the post-Brexit scenario. However, with Labour now aiming to ‘reset’ ties with the European Union, the urgency to conclude an FTA may not be as strong.
‘Hinduphobia’
When asked whether the UK Labour government would adhere to PM Starmer’s commitment to stopping ‘Hinduphobia,’ Lammy, who is of African-Caribbean origin, reflected on his connections with India.
“Well, let me just say that my great-great grandmother left Calcutta as an indentured worker and went across the Atlantic to Guyana – and so I have Indian heritage. That is the tremendous story of empire,” he said.
The British foreign secretary added that “there is no place for discrimination of any kind”.
In March 2023, India summoned a senior United Kingdom diplomat after pro-Khalistan protesters removed the Indian flag atop the high commission building in London, accusing the UK of “indifference” to the security of Indian diplomatic premises. Protests by Khalistani groups, particularly near Indian diplomatic missions, have been a major point of contention for India.
When asked whether UK will be tough on Khalistani groups, Lammy replied, “I lost a dear friend in the 7/7 bombing, so terrorism has touched my own life”. He also added that it would be important to convey to the Indian leadership the “seriousness with which we have to take any terrorism in any form in our country”.
Climate
Combating climate change is a key governmental priority for the Labour government, which placed a spotlight on environmental issues during the bilateral talks. According to the MEA readout, Lammy and Jaishankar “discussed India-UK collaboration in the field of Climate and Green Economy.
“As well as work on off-shore-wind and green hydrogen, the UK and India agreed to deepen our partnership on forests and on building resilient cities of the future,” said the UK press communique.
