PM Modi, UK's Starmer to hold talks in Mumbai today: Trade and business in focus

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is on a two-day visit to India, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, where the two leaders will discuss trade and business.

This is Starmer’s first trip to India since he became the British prime minister. He is accompanied by a delegation of over 100 business leaders, as his talks with PM Modi will focus on trade and business.

The two-day visit, at the invitation of PM Modi, will see both leaders take stock of the progress made across all aspects of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with “Vision 2035”, a 10-year roadmap agreed alongside the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in July to build on the key pillars of the partnership.

What is ‘Vision 2035’?

During his recent visit to the UK in July this year, PM Modi endorsed the new ‘India-UK Vision 2035’ with Starmer, which reaffirmed their shared commitment to unlocking the full potential of the partnership between the two countries.

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India and the UK announced that their ‘Vision 2035’ partnership will be driven by sustained high-level political engagement, with both countries reaffirming their commitment to regular meetings between the two prime ministers to provide strategic direction and oversight.

The implementation of the roadmap will be reviewed annually by India’s External Affairs Minister and the UK’s Foreign Secretary, while dedicated ministerial mechanisms will focus on key cross-sectoral areas, including technology, trade, investment, and financial cooperation.

Officials say the structured engagements are designed to keep the partnership dynamic, responsive, and closely aligned with shared strategic interests.

What’s on agenda?

Starmer will meet PM Modi on Thursday at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, following which he will attend the CEO Forum and Global Fintech Fest 2025 events at the Jio World Centre.

During his meeting with PM Modi, Starmer will take stock of the progress made in UK-India ties reframed during Modi’s visit to the UK earlier this year, as being guided by ‘Vision 2035’.

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The visit, coinciding with both navies undertaking their joint Exercise Konkan in the Arabian Sea, is symbolic of the opportunity for the delivery of significant defence technological and industrial partnerships between Indian and UK companies, including on naval electric propulsion, said Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South Asia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London.