 "British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, left and Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi walk in the gardens of Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, India Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)")
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that a trade agreement with India would enhance the United Kingdom’s global leadership in sectors such as technology and innovation.
The UK’s PM also said that India is an economic superpower in the making, highlighting his government’s intent to deepen economic ties with New Delhi.
Starmer is in the financial capital of Mumbai on a two-day visit to India, joined by more than 100 leaders from Britain’s business, culture and university sectors, as he rushes to harvest the trade deal signed in July.
An Indian foreign ministry statement said the two sides agreed to set up a connectivity and innovation centre and a joint centre for AI, and unveiled a critical minerals industry guild to bolster supply chains and promote green technologies.
INDIA, UK sign defence deal
Earlier, Starmer’s office said 64 Indian companies would collectively invest 1.3 billion pounds ($1.75 billion) in Britain, without elaborating.
But the two countries do not agree on everything.
After Modi wished Russian President Vladimir Putin a happy birthday on Tuesday, Starmer joked to reporters that he would not be doing the same, given Britain’s strong backing for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia over its invasion.
Britain says it respects India’s strategic independence and Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, a former trade minister who joined the delegation, told reporters the issue had not prevented Starmer from leveraging close ties with Modi to expand the UK economy.
In an early indication of that strategy, Britain said it had signed a 350 million pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian army with lightweight multi-role missiles built in Northern Ireland, and the next phase of a deal, worth an initial 250 million pounds, to collaborate on electric-powered engines for naval ships.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsNew Delhi has for decades been dependent on Moscow for much of its military hardware but has slowly moved away in recent decades to buy from France, Israel, and the U.S.
Britain said two UK universities had been given approval to open new campuses in India, which it said would help the UK expand its influence “without adding pressure to domestic migration figures”, as the government tightens rules around international students and has said more Indian visas weren’t on the agenda for talks.
With inputs from agencies