Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham. File
| Photo Credit: AP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Andy Burnham on Friday (July 31, 2026) vowed to take the India-U.K. comprehensive strategic partnership to “new heights” and fully harness the trade and investment opportunities presented by the recently operationalised bilateral trade deal.
PM Modi and U.K. PM Burnham discussed key aspects of the two-way ties during a phone conversation.
In a social media post, PM Modi said he congratulated U.K. PM Burnham on assuming the charge of the top office and conveyed his best wishes for a successful tenure.
“We agreed to work together across sectors such as technology, innovation, defence, security, clean energy, education and people-to-people ties and take the India-U..K. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to new heights,” he said.
“We will also collaborate closely to fully harness the trade and investment opportunities presented by the recently operationalised India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, for the shared prosperity and well-being of both our people,” PM Modi said.
A British readout said U.K. PM Burnham began the conversation by reflecting on the strength of the U.K.-India partnership and the significant impact it has had on local communities across the U.K..
“The U.K. Prime Minister set out his ambitions to further enhance the U.K.-India relationship, including through the U.K.-India Vision 2035 framework and strong people-to-people links,” A British readout said.
U.K. PM Burnham praised the contribution Indian communities in the U.K. make to the fabric of U.K. society, with PM Modi noting the links between the two leaders’ own home cities of Manchester and Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, which he called the “Manchester of India”, it said.
Turning to trade, PM Modi underlined the value of the recently introduced free trade agreement, which will create opportunities for people across both countries, it added.
Published – July 31, 2026 07:19 pm IST
