India–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement
  India
  United Kingdom
TypeTrade agreement
ContextTrade between India and the United Kingdom
Negotiators
Parties
LanguageEnglish

The India–United Kingdom free trade agreement is a proposed free trade agreement which began negotiations in January 2022.[1] When completed it will be the first comprehensive free trade agreement that India has signed with a European country; it will be the third trade agreement signed by Britain since leaving the European Union that was negotiated completely anew.[2]

Negotiations

In May 2021, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed deeper trade co-operation between the two countries.[3] This “Enhanced Trade Partnership” removed a number of trade barriers and set out the two countries’ intention to work towards a free trade agreement.[4]

India and the UK launched negotiations in January 2022.[5] Johnson declared that the agreement should be completed by Diwali 2022.[6][7] Despite this, in October 2022, the Secretary of State for International Trade, Kemi Badenoch, said that the Government was no longer working to this deadline.[8] She stated that the Government wanted “to focus on the quality of the deal rather than the speed of the deal”.[9]

By December 2023, the UK and India had reached the 13th round of negotiations, deciding to fast track the agreement in order to complete prior to the elections in both countries the following year.[2] Negotiations between both countries are locked in several issues, one of which is the UK's concerns about agreeing to visas for professionals demanded by India.[10] The thirteenth round of negotiations concluded on 18 December 2023.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "UK-India trade talks intensify in bid to remove 'significant' barriers". Financial Times. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 "India, UK Seek to Wrap Up Trade Talks Before Busy Election Year". Bloomberg. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Prime Minister announces £1 billion of new UK-India trade". GOV.UK. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Johnson and Modi Pledge 'Quantum Leap' in U.K.-India Ties". Bloomberg. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "UK-India Free Trade Agreement Negotiations". UK Parliament. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "PM statement in India: 22 April 2022". GOV.UK. 22 April 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Britain still wants free trade deal with India by Diwali". Reuters. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Scotching the trade deal with India?". BBC News. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "India-UK free trade agreement: Diwali deadline no longer valid, negotiations still on". Mint. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "UK reluctant to agree to India's demands for visas under proposed FTA: Sources". CNBC. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Joint outcome statement: UK-India round thirteen of FTA negotiations". GOV.UK. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.


See also

Media related to Relations of India and the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons

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