Starmer draws the line on job visas for Indians

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said he would resist demands from business to allow more highly skilled workers from India to come to the UK following a free trade agreement between the two countries.

- LUCY WHITE

Speaking to journalists on a flight to Mumbai, Starmer said it “isn’t part of the plans” to open up more visa spots for Indian workers. He’s joined on the two-day trip — his first after assuming charge — by 125 business and cultural leaders, several of whom have warned the UK that its efforts to restrict overseas workers coming to the UK risk creating a labour shortage.

“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.”

Starmer will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. They will also attend a CEO roundtable and the sixth edition of the Global Fintech Fest.

AS PART OF the UK-India FTA, both countries agreed to lock in pre-existing measures that allowed temporary business travel between the two nations.