From 10 Downing Street to the Gateway of India

Sir Starmer's India Visit Puts Policy into Practice

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Sir Keir Starmer's two-day visit to Mumbai in early October 2025 was designed to do more than briefly headline diplomatic pages; it was a carefully choreographed mission to turn the political momentum of July's Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into tangible deals, partnerships and institutional linkages. The trip—Starmer's first major trade mission to India—brought 125 senior British business, academic and cultural figures and resulted in headline announcements that ran the gamut from defence sales to education collaborations, underscoring how London and New Delhi now see each other as strategic economic partners rather than merely bilateral interlocutors.

A first official visit with a trade agenda

Starmer arrived in Mumbai at the height of the Global Fintech Fest and the CEO Summit, bringing with him Britain's largest ever government trade mission to India. The PM framed the mission as the practical follow-through to the CETA signed in July—“It’s not just a piece of paper, it’s a launchpad for growth,” he said—repeating a theme that ran through every engagement: turn diplomatic goodwill into jobs and contracts for British business while offering Indian companies new routes to markets, technology and investment. The visit, timed to capitalise on the commercial platforms that Mumbai provides, laid concrete markers of intent that both capitals hope will translate into rapid implementation.

From treaty text to trade floors