UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will be in New Delhi on Wednesday to “unlock the full potential” of UK-India partnership and reinforce the UK’s commitment to securing a Free Trade Agreement with India, which will benefit both economies, according to the British government.
“David Lammy will highlight the importance of a new partnership with India that focuses on economic, domestic and global security. He will hold high-level meetings with the Indian government as well as climate and business leaders,” per a statement issued by the British High Commission in New Delhi.
Britain’s Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, had a landslide victory in the July 4 elections after being in the opposition for over a decade.
Economic, domestic and global security will be at the heart of the Foreign Secretary’s first visit to India as he travels to New Delhi today (24th July) to unlock the full potential of the UK-India partnership.
“I am travelling to India in my first month as Foreign Secretary because resetting our relationship with the Global South is a key part of how this government will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home,” Lammy was quoted as saying in the statement.
The UK Foreign Secretary will hold high-level talks with members of the Indian government, including Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar.
Talks on strengthening trade and economic ties will also be high on the Minister’s agenda.
“Our Free Trade Agreement negotiations are the floor, not the ceiling, of our ambitions to unlock our shared potential and deliver growth, from Bengaluru to Birmingham. We have shared interests in the green transition, new technologies, economic security and global security,” Lammy said.
Lammy will also meet with business leaders to highlight how the UK and India are working together on shared ambitions, such as cutting-edge science to encourage innovation, boost trade and improve the livelihoods of working people in both countries.
The India-UK FTA talks were started under the Conservative government in January 2022, but they have bipartisan support. Starmer pledged support for the negotiations earlier this month and said that the countries would work on a pact that suited both sides.