Starmer’s visit affirms UK’s bet on India in ‘Global Britain’ strategy

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India on October 8-9, 2025, was focused on accelerating economic ties through a landmark trade deal and deepening cooperation across technology, defence, and education. This was his first official trip to India as prime minister and followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK in July 2025, where the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed.

The highlights of Starmer’s visit included meetings with PM Modi and an address at the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai. The visit underscored a growing strategic partnership aimed at economic progress and stability in a changing world.

The central purpose of the visit was to solidify the trade agreement. CETA is a major post-Brexit trade deal for the UK. The deal facilitates greater access for Indian goods, including textiles and footwear, into the UK, while slashing Indian tariffs on premium British exports like Scotch whisky and luxury cars.

Leading the largest-ever British trade delegation to India, Starmer aimed to reassure India of the UK’s commitment to the new strategic partnership following Britain’s exit from the European Union. The 125-strong British delegation included business and tech leaders who explored opportunities in India’s rapidly expanding economy.

Starmer expressed his desire to see the trade agreement fully implemented as soon as possible to “turbocharge” bilateral trade. He also announced new Indian investments in the UK, including a £1.3 billion commitment expected to create over 10,000 jobs in the UK.

For India, welcoming the British prime minister reinforced the idea of the “living bridge”—the strong cultural and personal connections between the two nations, supported by a large Indian diaspora in the UK. The reciprocal nature of the visits—PM Modi to the UK in July followed by Starmer’s trip to India in October—is a signal that the relationship is very important for both governments.

Prime Ministers Modi and Starmer addressed the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, highlighting India’s position as a technologically inclusive society and focusing on collaboration in fintech. PM Modi highlighted that the CETA will create new employment opportunities for youth in both countries. PM Starmer actively encouraged Indian innovators and investors to use the UK as a gateway to global markets.

The visit of the British PM also deepened the strategic defence partnership between the two nations. The leaders agreed to expand military cooperation through joint exercises, training, and capacity-building. Discussions included a military training arrangement for the Indian Air Force and an intergovernmental agreement to jointly develop maritime electric propulsion systems for Indian naval platforms. Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to robust maritime security collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region, including the establishment of a new regional security centre. The two nations progressed with the Defence Industrial Roadmap, which promotes the co-design and co-production of defence equipment.

A deal was signed for the UK to supply India with lightweight multi-role missiles, valued at £350 million ($468 million). The deal is significant because it represents a deepening strategic partnership that serves both nations’ geopolitical and economic interests. For India, it supports its military modernisation and defence diversification goals, while for the UK, it bolsters its defence industry and influence in the Indo-Pacific.

The visit established new partnerships to advance technology and innovation. India and the UK agreed to establish the India–UK Joint Centre for AI and the India–UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre.

The India-UK Joint Centre for AI aims to advance the technology in key sectors like health, climate, fintech, and engineering biology. The centre will facilitate collaboration between researchers and innovators from both countries. The centre’s creation builds on prior discussions from the UK’s AI Safety Summit in 2023 and India’s Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit in 2024. This move marks India’s shift to leading discussions on AI’s global impact.

The India-UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre is a newly established joint hub aimed at enhancing digital inclusion and connectivity by developing AI-native networks for 6G and Non-Terrestrial Networks as well as focusing on telecom cybersecurity. The centre focuses on developing advanced telecom technologies with an initial joint funding of at least £24 million.

Prime Minister Modi announced the Critical Minerals Industry Guild (CMIG), a new India-UK initiative to foster collaboration and secure critical mineral supply chains between the two nations. The formation of the CMIG comes amid broader global concerns over supply chain dependencies for critical minerals. By collaborating, the UK and India seek to diversify sourcing for these vital materials and boost manufacturing in both countries. CMIG addresses supply chain vulnerabilities, reinforcing economic security and promoting green technologies. This helps both countries secure essential resources in an era of complex global supply chains.

PM Modi and PM Starmer also announced that nine British universities are establishing campuses in India. This decision signifies a major shift in global higher education and strengthens the India-UK strategic partnership. The move, facilitated by India’s National Education Policy 2020 and updated regulations, aims to address India’s high demand for quality education while creating new opportunities for the UK universities.

The University of Southampton already has a campus in Gurugram, which began classes in August 2025. Coventry University and Imperial College London are expanding their India presence through partnerships, research collaborations, and innovation hubs. The University of Liverpool campus is planned for Bangalore. The University of York, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Bristol are planning to set up campuses in Mumbai. The Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Surrey campuses are being established in Gujarat’s GIFT City.

These campuses will offer Indian students access to world-class British degrees and curricula without the high costs of studying abroad and navigating visa requirements. This helps keep talent in India while meeting the educational needs of its large youth population. By retaining students who would have otherwise studied abroad, India can reduce its outflow of foreign exchange.

The presence of international institutions fosters competition, which is expected to prompt Indian universities to innovate and improve their own standards, infrastructure, and pedagogical methods. The initiative is designed to increase joint research projects and strengthen collaborations between academia and industry. This will support the development of new technologies and a more skilled workforce.

India and the UK also discussed migration and mobility issues during Starmer’s visit. However, the UK’s position remains firm that the recently signed trade deal does not include relaxing immigration rules or creating new visa routes for Indian citizens. Starmer said that the UK will not relax visa rules for India. He said his visit to India “is about providing the opportunities” for Indian businesses “to take advantage” of the UK-India trade deal.

India desires increased mobility for its skilled professionals in sectors like IT and healthcare. The FTA includes provisions for professional mobility, but these are primarily for short-term business visits. Full mobility for Indian professionals remains a point of contention due to the UK’s restrictive domestic immigration policies. Britain has been unwilling to liberalise visa access for Indian workers and students, a major Indian demand. While recent agreements have facilitated the temporary movement of some skilled workers, overall UK immigration policy remains restrictive.

PM Modi and his British counterpart, Starmer, also discussed the Khalistani extremist issue during their discussions. Khalistan extremism in the UK poses challenges and harms India-UK ties by creating diplomatic friction, inciting violence against Indian government interests and the Indian diaspora, and hindering collaboration on other vital issues.

Incidents, including the vandalism of the Indian High Commission in London in 2023 and ongoing anti-India protests, have created diplomatic tensions. India has consistently raised these concerns with the UK, asserting that inaction amounts to misusing democratic freedoms to promote extremism. While India has raised concerns about UK-based Khalistani extremism, it has been met with insufficient action. This can create distrust and hinder deeper cooperation on counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing.

PM Modi raised concerns about the extradition of fugitives from the UK during his meeting with the British PM. UK extradition rules are also a problem for India because fugitives such as Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallaya exploit the UK’s legal system and lengthy appeal process to delay or block extradition. Despite a 1993 extradition treaty, UK courts can refuse extradition based on human rights concerns, such as the potential for unfair trial or mistreatment in Indian prisons, which has resulted in a low success rate for India’s extradition requests.

There are concerns in India that some legal processes have been obstructed by the UK’s lawyers and judges, with some believing that Britain has become a perceived “safe haven” for fugitives.

In September 2025, British officials inspected Tihar Jail in India to address concerns about prison conditions. This was an effort to overcome previous legal hurdles that had delayed extraditions. Indian authorities offered guarantees and assurances to satisfy UK requirements. Indian agencies have also assured a UK court that they would not file any new cases against fugitive Nirav Modi if he is extradited.

Summing up, India expects that Starmer’s now-concluded visit will consolidate the recent CETA, expand cooperation under the “Vision 2035” roadmap, and address sensitive bilateral issues. For the UK, the visit showcased its commitment to strengthening alliances and securing trade deals beyond Europe following its departure from the European Union. It signalled the Labour Party’s commitment to prioritising trade and diplomatic engagement with key partners in the Indo-Pacific, a crucial element of the “Global Britain” strategy post-Brexit.

The visit served to demonstrate that the two nations are committed to a modern, forward-looking relationship built on mutual economic and strategic priorities and reinforces the shared vision for an enduring partnership, aiming to strengthen economic, technological, and strategic links.

The writer is a retired Indian diplomat and had previously served as Ambassador in Kuwait and Morocco and as Consul General in New York. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.