Starmer calls India-UK FTA best secured, bets big on edu, aviation

British PM positions the deal as a catalyst for a new era of economic strategic relations

- PUSHPITA DEY NewDelhi__

BRITISH Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on a two-day visit to India, has termed the recently signed India-UK Free Trade Agreement the "best secured trade deal in British history" a landmark pact he described as a turning point in bilateral relations.

Positioning the deal as a catalyst for a new era of economic and strategic ties, Starmer vowed to fast-track its implementation "as soon as humanly possible," a day ahead of his bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai.

Starmer accompanied by a high-powered delegation of British CEOs, university heads, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders, signals a renewed push to fast-track the benefits of the FTA signed in July 2025. "We signed a major trade deal with India in July, the best secured by any country, but the story doesn't stop there," he said. "India is poised to become the third-largest economy by 2028.