British PM Keir Starmer likely to visit India in October to boost ties

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is “likely” to visit India around the October 7-9 Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, high-level diplomatic sources confirmed to The Hindu on Monday (September 22, 2025).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Starmer will hold summit-level talks during the visit, which comes a little more than two months after Mr. Modi visited the U.K. to attend the signing of the U.K.-India free trade agreement. The trade agreement is still working its way through the ratification process in the U.K. and is expected to come into effect only in 2026. The two sides are negotiating a bilateral investment treaty and announced a Technology Security Initiative in July last year.

There have been huge geopolitical upheavals, especially in trade, after the two men met in the last week of July. U.S.-India relations have been at a low not seen in years over a 50% tariff on Indian goods exported to the U.S..This includes a 25% “penalty” for India trading in energy and arms with Russia.

The EU has said it wants to upgrade ties with India but has expressed concerns about India engaging in military exercises with Russia and buying oil from that country. The U.K. also recently hosted U.S. President Donald Trump for a state visit, signing tech and nuclear energy agreements.

Apart from tech, defence, and security, the summit in India is also likely to see discussions around cooperation in the education sector, with several U.K. universities, such as the University of Southampton, opening campuses in India.

The trip is also an opportunity for Mr. Starmer, who is on the defensive, politically, at home and in need of showing he is making trade deals work for the British economy by creating jobs and bringing inward investment.

The Hindu has learnt that the two Prime Ministers are likely to visit one other city, apart from Mumbai. This location is still being finalised.