On Monday in New Delhi, Kemi Badenoch, the British trade minister, will meet with her Indian counterpart for the first time. The goal is to get the talks about a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries moving again.
This trip will be the first official round of talks since July.
In April, Boris Johnson, who used to be Prime Minister, set a big goal of making an FTA with India by Diwali, which is in October. But he had to say he was leaving in July, so the deadline wasn’t met.
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In a different tone than Johnson, the new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has said that he is committed to making a deal with India but won’t give up quality for speed.
Badenoch was put in charge of her job in September. Before the next round of talks starts, she will meet with Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal and talk to the negotiating teams.
Badenoch said in a statement, “I’m in New Delhi to start round six of trade talks between the UK and India and to meet Minister Goyal in person to move this agreement forward.”
“Both countries came to the table with high hopes and a willingness to work together toward a deal that would be good for both.”
Britain’s trade ministry said that it would try to lower tariffs on goods and give its service sector more opportunities.
The whisky industry in Britain is one of those that wants tariffs lowered. Last year, the Indian whisky export market was worth almost $150 million, but there is a 150% tariff.
India wants to give more visas to people who want to study and work in Britain. In October, British Interior Minister Suella Braverman caused a stir when she said that Indians overstayed in the country more than any other group.
Officials have said that her comments won’t have much of an effect on the negotiations.
Britain and India trade a total of 29 billion pounds ($35.54 billion) worth of goods each year. Increasing this trade is a big part of Britain’s Indo-Pacific foreign policy, which aims to strengthen ties with the fast-growing economies in the region.
“The UK-India FTA is still the most important thing for business.” We applaud the Secretary of State and Prime Minister for listening and putting substance ahead of speed. Andy Burwell, who is in charge of international affairs at the Confederation of British Industry, said this.
“Trade is a key part of growth, and India will be a key partner and market for the UK as it tries to get out of stagflation.”
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Last month, Badenoch said that Britain should be doing better in trade now that it has left the European Union. She also said that she thought the benefits of Brexit would be more long-term.
