Explained: Why UK-India trade deal may be a flashpoint between Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman

One of the first things Rishi Sunak did as UK prime minister was rehire Suella Braverman. Not only did Sunak have to face a torrent of criticism from Opposition MPs, he may have given himself an additional headache over the UK-India trade deal, which was earlier reported to be on the brink of collapse. Recall that home secretary Braverman resigned last week after breaching ethics rules by sending a sensitive government email from a private account. She used her resignation letter to criticize Truss, hastening the then-prime minister’s departure. Let’s examine why Sunak and Braverman, both of Indian-origin parents, might butt heads over the deal: Sunak appears eager to clinch FTA Bloomberg has reported that Sunak’s regime is currently holding talks with New Delhi over the trade deal, a sticking point of which remains the increase in number of business visas granted to Indian nationals. Trade minister Greg Hands told the House of Commons Wednesday that while talks are complete ‘on the majority’ of the deal, business visas continue to be an area of “active negotiations". “We are working towards the best deal for both sides and won’t sign until we have a deal that is fair, reciprocal and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the UK economy,” Hands was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Sunak has already signalled his eagerness with regard to the deal put into motion by his predecessors.

Which should come as little surprise given that the FTA, which was expected to be signed by Diwali, would be one of the biggest and most ambitious deals struck between the two countries and a feather in Sunak’s cap. Sunak in a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after taking charge at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday stated the importance of a ‘comprehensive and balanced Free Trade Agreement’. Modi seemed equally keen, tweeting, “Glad to speak to Rishi Sunak today. Congratulated him on assuming charge as UK PM. We will work together to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We also agreed on the importance of early conclusion of a comprehensive and balanced FTA.” Sunak, meanwhile, said he is “excited” about how the two “great democracies” can achieve as they deepen their ties. However, Braverman, a right-wing Brexiteer, seems far less enthusiastic than her boss, given her previous comments about ‘visa overstayers’. Braverman has also been tasked with fulfilling a controversial, stalled plan to send some asylum-seekers arriving in Britain on a one-way trip to Rwanda. Sunak denied an allegation by Labour leader Keir Starmer that he had made a “grubby deal” with Braverman in return for her support in the leadership contest. Braverman’s previous comments spur concern, fury A leading light of the Conservatives’ right wing who infuriates liberals, Braverman told The Spectator, “I have concerns about having an open borders migration policy with India because I don’t think that’s what people voted for with Brexit.” [caption id=“attachment_11482501” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Suella Braverman’s comments infuriated 10 Downing Street, the Opposition and New Delhi. AP[/caption] Asked about visa flexibility for students and entrepreneurs under an India-UK FTA, she said: “But I do have some reservations. Look at migration in this country – the largest group of people who overstay are Indian migrants.” “We even reached an agreement with the Indian government last year to encourage and facilitate better cooperation in this regard. It has not necessarily worked very well.” As per NDTV, Braverman also blamed ‘uncontrolled migration’ and a failure to integrate for the riots in Leicester following an India-Pakistan cricket match.

Braverman’s comments infuriated members of 10 Downing Street, the Opposition, and diplomats in New Delhi.

The Times of India quoted Labour MP Ben Bradshaw as saying Braverman had done “immense damage, in her previous brief tenure in the job, to our relations with India through her comments about Indian visitors overstaying their visas. The consequence is that the British people are now the only people in Europe who do not have access to e-visas to visit India. That is doing great damage to our tourism sector and jeopardising the travel plans of thousands of British families.” Politico earlier reported ‘frustration’ within 10 Downing Street and the trade department about Braverman’s comments. A businessperson in the know told the outlet Braverman has “damaged the political atmospherics” of the deal and public perception of the UK in India, adding that the home secretary’s comments “didn’t go down well at all in India.” The businessperson added there are “still lots of important chapters to close [in the deal] which haven’t progressed much in the last month.” UK media reports said ministers in New Delhi were ‘shocked and disappointed’ by the ‘disrespectful’ remarks made by Braverman. “There’s still a lot of goodwill but if certain individuals are still embedded in the [UK] government it will paralyse the talks,” the newspaper quoted a source as saying. “Mobility has been the key Indian ask and everything else – financial services, banking, education, rules of origin on whisky, etc, hinges on the mobility ask. And Suella has gone and pulled the rug from under that mobility ask,” a senior UK government source told The Times. “They were apoplectic. Mad doesn’t even come close to describing how angry they are,” said another. As per Bloomberg, India responded to Braverman by saying ‘both sides should honour’ the understanding with regards to mobility. The Indian High Commission said “comments on these matters may not be appropriate given that the negotiations are underway, and that any arrangement will include issues of interest to both sides”. It also countered Braverman’s comments on Indian ‘overstayers’ and said that action had been taken. “As part of our wider discussions under Migration and Mobility, the government of India is committed to work with the government of UK to facilitate the return of Indian citizens who have overstayed their visa period here in the UK. As per data shared with the Home Office, as on date, action has been initiated on all of the cases referred to the High Commission. Further, UK has also undertaken to fulfil certain commitments as part of the Migration and Mobility Protocol, on which we await demonstrable progress,” the statement read. However, Hands said the negotiations dealt with business visas and not permanent settlement. “In the area of trade, what we’re talking about is mode four arrangements. These aren’t immigration arrangements. These relate to business visas not for permanent settlement,” Hands was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. ‘Keep an eye on policies’ However, not everyone is convinced that Sunak and Braverman are out of step. The Independent reported that Sunak has already signalled he wants to tamp down on immigration – in accordance with the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto vow to reduce overall numbers by 2024.

As The Print noted, this would be bad news for immigrants from South Asia particularly from Pakistan and India.

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Blessed with  endowments and privileges, politicians and public intellectuals from East African Indian immigrants want to be identified as British only, this piece in The Print further added. “In this quest to prove themselves more British, they may become more aggressive in opposing new immigrants. Please keep an eye on the Sunak government’s immigration policies,” this piece in The Print concluded. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how things ultimately unfold. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.