India-UK FTA talks may resume next yr

India and the UK are expected to restart talks on their proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between April and June, the first quarter of the UK's fiscal year, two people aware of the matter said.

- Dhirendra Kumar

The talks, which aim to resolve outstanding issues, have been ongoing since January 2022 but stalled in May this year after a high-ranking British delegation cancelled its visit to New Delhi ahead of the general election in the UK.

The talks will resume from where they were paused-the 14th round.

However, with the change in leadership in the UK, it is not yet certain that the 14th round of talks, which began in January, will be the final round of discussions, as was agreed upon during the tenure of former British prime minister Rishi Sunak, the first of the two people mentioned above said.