£5bn India deal 'will hurt UK workers'

IMMIGRATION FEARS AS CRITICS SLAM TRADE AGREEMENT

- By Jonathan Walker and Christian Calgie

A £4.8BILLION trade deal with India that was hailed as “historic” by Sir Keir Starmer has been slammed by the Conservatives for “subsidising Indian’ labour while undercutting British workers”.

The landmark post-Brexit trade deal includes a massive cut in tariffs on British goods sold in India, Labour boasted, while UK consumers will enjoy lower prices for products such as clothes, footwear and food.

The Prime Minister said it marked “a new era for trade and the economy”. But the Tories and Reform UK said the Government had paid a heavy price in its desperation to get an agreement as it emerged some Indian workers in the UK will no longer have to pay National Insurance, with the payments being sent to an Indian pension fund instead.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch revealed she had rejected similar proposals while Trade Secretary in the last government. She added: “When Labour negotiates, Britain loses.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “This will hurt British workers and encourage even more immigration when it is already ridiculously high.”

Ministers last night refused to reveal how much the NI trade-off would cost the Treasury but insisted it only applied to a limited number of Indian staff, including those working for multinational firms who were deployed to a UK office for up to three years. Some British people working in India will be exempt from Indian taxes in a similar way.

'This deal looks like it's subsidising Indian labour while undercutting British workers’