UK minister Seema Malhotra in India to advance FTA work

UK minister for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra, on Thursday arrived in India on a three-day visit aimed at taking forward the recently signed landmark free trade agreement (FTA) that will boost Indian exports of textiles, leather and engineering goods and cut levies on British whisky, automobiles and medical devices, catalysing trade, investment and job creation. “Our joint UK-India Vision 2035 has the landmark FTA at its core. During my visit I will see the impact of our revitalised partnership: creating thousands of jobs, driving innovation, and delivering investment in both our countries,” she said.

- Rahul Singh

The deal between the world’s fifth and sixth largest economies was announced in May and signed in July, almost three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his former British counterpart Boris Johnson set a target of concluding the FTA by October 2022. Since then, the negotiations were affected by differences on a range of issues, including tariffs on alcohol and automobiles and mobility of Indian professionals, and political turmoil in the UK.

The deal is projected to boost UK's GDP by £4.8 billion annually, raise wages by £2.2 billion, and increase bilateral trade by £25.5 billion, the British High Commission in Delhi said on Thursday.