British PM Starmer hails India opportunities
NEW DELHI
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Wednesday praised the "unparalleled" opportunities in India opening up after London and New Delhi signed a landmark free trade agreement, capping years of intense negotiations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Starmer and what he called "the largest ever trade delegation from the U.K.," saying in a statement that he hoped to bolster their "shared vision of a stronger, mutually prosperous future."
Starmer, on his first official trip to India, is accompanied by a 125-member delegation that includes top business leaders including British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle.
The two-day visit follows his July meeting with Modi in London, where the pair signed the trade accord.
"With India set to be the third biggest economy in the world by 2028, and trade with them about to become quicker and cheaper, the opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled," Starmer said.
India and its former colonial ruler are the world's fifth- and sixth-largest economies, with bilateral trade worth around $54.8 billion and investments supporting more than 600,000 jobs across both countries.
Starmer is due to meet Modi today and address a fintech conference in Mumbai alongside him.
Starmer, who met with the business delegation before heading to a Bollywood film studio, touted the recent trade deal as the "biggest" India had ever struck.
"I've asked the team to implement it as quickly as humanly possible, but I think it's already changing the mood music, frankly," he told the delegation.
"I think the opportunities are already opening up, the contact has already increased, trade with India went up hugely in the last 12 months, and climbing."
