UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday called for the free trade agreement (FTA) with India to be implemented “as soon as humanly possible”, as the two countries seek to deepen economic ties amid turbulence triggered by the trade policies of the US.
Addressing British business delegates at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai at the start of a two-day visit, Starmer said he had instructed officials to move quickly on the FTA signed in July after three years of start-stop negotiations.
“It provides huge opportunities,” Starmer told members of the 125-strong delegation, including CEOs and entrepreneurs, accompanying him. “I think the opportunities are already opening up…Our job is to make it easier for you to seize the opportunities.”
Starmer, on his first visit to India as PM, will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and the two leaders will address the Global Fintech Fest. India and the UK have said they intend to ratify the FTA so that it comes into effect next year.
The visit follows Modi’s trip to the UK in July, when the trade deal was signed and nearly £6 billion in new investment and export wins were confirmed. Starmer will seek to secure investments and seal deals that drive growth for both countries, the UK high commission said, describing India as “one of the UK’s most important economic partners”.
The deal between the world’s fifth- and sixth-largest economies aims to increase two-way trade by 25.5 billion pounds ($34 billion) by 2040, and the presence of top executives from oil major BP, Rolls-Royce, British Telecom, Diageo, London Stock Exchange and British Airways is aimed at maximising opportunities arising from the UK’s biggest post-Brexit trade deal.
The 125-strong delegation is the largest UK government trade mission to India, and also includes 14 university vice chancellors and representatives of cultural institutions such as the British Film Institute and the National Theatre.
During a visit to Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai, Starmer announced three new Bollywood blockbusters will be made in the UK from next year. Yash Raj Film confirmed plans to bring major productions to locations across the UK from early 2026.
“Bollywood is back in Britain, and it’s bringing jobs, investment and opportunity, all while showcasing the UK as a world-class destination for global filmmaking,” he said. “This is exactly the kind of partnership our trade deal with India is destined to unlock – driving growth, strengthening cultural ties and delivering for communities across the country.”
The trade deal improves market access for businesses in both countries, and the university vice chancellors accompanying Starmer are eyeing opportunities in higher education in India, with 70 million places needed by 2035.
Ahead of his arrival, Starmer said the FTA with India was “not just a piece of paper [but] a launchpad for growth”, and growth in India “means more choice, stability and jobs at home for the British people”.
Under the deal, India’s average tariffs on British products will drop from 15% to 3%, and whisky producers will benefit from levies being reduced immediately from 150% to 75%, and then dropped to 40% over the next 10 years.
British Airways announced on Wednesday it will introduce a third daily flight between Delhi and London in 2026, subject to regulatory and capacity approval. The airline currently operates 56 direct services from five Indian cities every week. Indigo will launch a new direct flight between Delhi and Manchester, adding to its existing Mumbai service.
At their meeting on Thursday, Starmer and Modi will seek to strengthen bilateral relations, including the Technology Security Initiative finalised last year. This will include measures to enhance the partnership in artificial intelligence, telecommunications and defence technology.
However, Starmer said he will resist demands from business to allow more highly skilled workers from India to come to the UK following the FTA. He told reporters accompanying him that the visa situation has not changed with the trade deal.
Starmer, whose government is under pressure to limit the number of people arriving in the UK, said it “isn’t part of the plans” to open up more visa spots for Indian workers.
“The visa situation hasn’t changed with the free trade agreement — we didn’t open up more visas,” Starmer said. “The issue is not about visas — it’s about business-to-business engagement and investment and jobs and prosperity coming into the United Kingdom.”