British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his U.K. counterpart Keir Starmer on Thursday (October 9, 2025) gave a joint call for a “two-state solution” to end the Israel-Palestine conflict and expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

Mr. Modi also spoke with Mr. Trump over the phone on Thursday (October 9) evening and congratulated him on the Gaza peace initiative. “Spoke to my friend, President Trump and congratulated him on the success of the historic Gaza peace plan. Also reviewed the good progress achieved in trade negotiations. Agreed to stay in close touch over the coming weeks,” he posted on X.

Mr. Modi, who welcomed Mr. Starmer to India, said the partnership between India and the U.K. serves as an “important pillar of global stability” in the current turbulent international scenario. The two leaders also called for “a just and lasting peace” in war-ravaged Ukraine.

“India and the U.K. are natural partners. In the current era of global instability, this partnership remains a vital pillar of global stability and economic progress,” said Mr. Modi, adding that the government is working to combine the U.K.’s industrial expertise and R&D with India’s talent and scale.

Mr. Modi highlighted the importance of “dialogue and diplomacy” in resolving the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and said India and U.K. are “committed” to enhance “maritime security cooperation” in the Indo-Pacific region.

Resolution of the enduring conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine featured in a joint statement issued at the end of official-level talks held in Mumbai. The two Prime Ministers supported “an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the release of the hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid, and their shared commitment to a lasting and just peace as a step towards a Two-State solution, with a safe and secure Israel, alongside a viable Palestinian state.”

Mr. Starmer and Mr. Modi highlighted cooperation between the two sides within the context of the Commonwealth and agreed to work closely on “climate change, sustainable development, and youth engagement” for the 2.5 billion population of the Commonwealth member countries. The statement reiterated shared commitment to “global peace, prosperity and rules-based international order”. They also expressed support to continue the dialogue on Migration and Mobility Partnership.

In his remarks following the delegation-level talks, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri reiterated India’s commitment to talks on streamlining migration and said, “We don’t support illegal immigration.” Mr. Starmer expressed U.K.’s condemnation of the April 22 Pahalgam attack and Mr. Modi condemned the attack outside a synagogue that left two persons dead in Manchester during Yom Kippur last week.

The joint statement highlighted economic progress, defence co-production, and potential for technology partnerships between both countries and reiterated the advantages of the recently signed India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and initiatives launched, supporting innovators and entrepreneurs.

Mr. Modi called CETA “historic”, saying the agreement will reduce import costs, create new employment opportunities for youth, boost trade, and benefit both industries and consumers. “Mr. Starmer’s visit symbolises the new energy and broad vision in the India-U.K. partnership,” he said. Mr. Starmer termed CETA a “breakthrough” moment.

This was Mr. Starmer’s first visit to India after being appointed as the U.K. Prime Minister. Along with the delegation of over 100 entrepreneurs, cultural representatives, and university Vice-Chancellors, he was on a two-day visit to India to discuss global and regional issues as well as the CETA.

The countries also signed the Terms of Reference to reposition the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on X, “This institutional reset is a game-changer, strengthening our framework for strategic engagement, driving the implementation of the India-U.K. CETA, and boosting our joint ambition to significantly enhance our bilateral trade.”

India launched several initiatives in collaboration with the U.K., one being the India-U.K. Technology Security Initiative. “Under this initiative, we have created a platform for joint research and innovation in critical technologies and use it as a bridge between the young generations of both countries,” Mr. Modi said.

The other initiatives include the Connectivity and Innovation Centre, the Joint AI Research Centre, the Industry Guild and the Supply Chain Observatory to collaborate on critical minerals, with a satellite campus at ISM Dhanbad, the formation of the India-U.K. Offshore Wind Taskforce, and the Climate Technology Startup Fund, supporting innovators and entrepreneurs from both countries working in climate, technology, and AI.

Published – October 09, 2025 10:55 pm IST

The U.K. India Infrastructure Financing Bridge (UKIIFB), an initiative launched by the Indian and the U.K. governments in September 2024, marked its first anniversary by launching a report in the City of London, the financial district of the U.K. capital, on Monday (September 8, 2025) morning.

However, a year since a handful of projects were identified for investment, they are no longer in the pipeline and have been replaced with eight recommendations themed around de-risking investment opportunities in India.

Those leading the initiative are hoping the second year will be different, with $2 trillion needed in infrastructure investment by 2030 to meet the country’s needs. However, changes are needed to make India more competitive in the global investment landscape. The second year of the Bridge will also have a special focus on the renewal energy sector.

Chris Hayward, who is the policy chief of the City of London Corporation, called the report a “compelling case for change” that outlines “Indian infrastructure projects more investible”. The Corporation represents the U.K. lead for the UKIIFB, while NITI Aayog, India’s official policy think tank, is the India lead.

Mr. Hayward, fresh from a visit to India, believes that the regulatory environment under the Narendra Modi government is “definitely moving in the right direction” but “there’s still work to be done”, he said, citing his discussions last week with the insurance industry in Hyderabad.

Recommendations in the UKIIFB report include aligning the Indian procurement process with globally recognized frameworks, (such as the U.K.’s Five Case Model) as well aligning with global ESG commitments. India will also need to address operational risks for projects and the perception of unpredictability and opacity in construction, as per the report.

The infrastructure sector is perceived to be dominated by a few large firms, as per the report. This lack of mid-sized firms leads to a lack of competition and stifles innovation.

B.V.R. Subrahmanyam , the CEO of NITI Aayog, appeared to have found the fact-finding mission over UKIIFB’s first year useful. He points to the finding of mid-sized firms as an example.

“You have actually put your fingers on one of the biggest problems of the Indian economy,” he said during remarks at the report’s launch. There are just 60,000 mid-sized firms in India, with about 100-200 employees, according to Mr. Subrahmanyam.

“So we don’t have a pyramid,” he says, comparing India’s company-size profile to an hour-glass instead. “It’s pinched in the middle.”

Mr. Subrahmanyam highlighted India’s young workforce and it’s high economic growth rate. He also said India was a test case for other countries, in terms of having to address climate change while navigating economic development.

Another challenge for foreign investors, as per the report, was revenue protection and simplified repatriation of money.

Asked if a bilateral investment treaty, which India and the U.K. are currently negotiating, would help attract investments, Mr. Subrahmanyam says that there is no doubt treaties are helpful but foreign capital can still find a way to India if it wants. Money can flow through jurisdictions that have treaties with India, he suggests, citing Singapore and South Korea.

“So if it’s protection people are looking for, it’s already available. The monies flow through other jurisdictions. The origin of money is the same,” he says.

The UKIIFB report nevertheless recommends addressing tax policies so that foreign funds are treated more similarly to domestic funds. One example is a recommendation to change regulations around withholding taxes on foreign exchange lending from offshore entities, such as subsidiaries of U.K. banks.

India’s High Commissioner to the U.K. was also present at the event on Monday (September 8, 2025).

Published – September 08, 2025 07:25 pm IST

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his statement on COP29 and G20 Summits at the House of Commons in London on November 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Free Trade Agreement negotiations with India — expected to significantly boost the estimated GBP 42 billion a year bilateral trade partnership — will be relaunched early in the new year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has informed the U.K. Parliament in London.

It came during his statement to update the House of Commons on Thursday (November 21, 2024) about his G-20 Summit visit to Brazil, where he said he had a “good discussion” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other world leaders.

Editorial: ​Urgent deadline: On the issues before the G-20

The meeting earlier this week had led to both countries agreeing to resume the election-stalled FTA talks.

Deepening ties: Starmer

“I had a good discussion with Prime Minister Modi about deepening our bilateral ties,” Mr. Starmer told the members of Parliament. “We agreed to raise the ambition of our U.K.-India comprehensive strategic partnership, which covers security, defence, technology, climate, health and education, building on the unique bonds and cultural ties between our two countries.

“Crucially, this work will start with trade and investment and I am pleased to say that we agreed to relaunch Free Trade Agreement negotiations early in the new year,” he said.

The talks had been paused in the 14th round as the general election cycles kicked in for both nations, with FTA negotiations that began under a Conservative Party government now being picked up by a Labour-led administration in charge in Britain.

“Boosting economic growth is key to improving living standards for working people. A new trade deal with India will support jobs and prosperity in the U.K. and represent a step forward in our mission to deliver growth and opportunity across our country,” Mr. Starmer said in Rio de Janeiro, soon after his first in-person meeting with PM Modi since taking charge at 10 Downing Street.

According to the U.K. India Business Council (UKIBC), which has engaged with officials across departments in both governments during the 13 rounds of negotiations, a substantial number of chapters have already been discussed for the FTA.

Meanwhile, the U.K.’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is set to unveil the government’s new Trade Strategy aligned with its Industrial Strategy to help inform all future trade negotiations and achieve long-term sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth through trade.

“India is the fifth largest economy in the world and a vital trading partner for the U.K. We believe there is a good deal to be done here that works for both nations,” said Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.

India and the U.K. have been negotiating the FTA since January 2022 and the Commerce and Industry Ministry in New Delhi has said that both sides would resume the discussions from the “progress achieved previously and seek to bridge the gaps for expeditiously closing the trade deal”.

London:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been written about fondly by former British PM Boris Johnson in his memoir ‘Unleashed’ which will be available in bookstores in the UK in a few days.

The book, which journeys through Mr Johnson’s very eventful, noteworthy and lively political career mentions about his meetings with Prime Minister Modi, calling him the “change-maker” we need. Writing about his very first meeting with the prime minister, Mr Johnson recalls “a curious astral energy” he had felt.

The former British prime minister has written an entire chapter dedicated to India and described ties between the two nations as “a relationship as good as it has ever been.”

Calling Prime Minister Modi “exactly the partner of friend” he needed, Mr Johnson credited himself and PM Modi for laying the foundation for a free-trade pact between India and the UK.

The significance of India-UK ties could be seen in the former prime minister’s book as he repeatedly mentions the “friendship” shared between the two countries, especially in the context of the Indo-Pacific region and its vision.

“For some reason, we went down to stand in the dark in the plaza by Tower Bridge, in front of a crowd of his supporters,” Mr Johnson writes in the chapter titled ‘Britain and India’, referencing his first meeting with PM Modi during a visit to his City Hall office by the river Thames when he was Mayor of London.

“He raised my arm and chanted something or other in Hindi, and though I couldn’t follow it I felt his curious astral energy. I have enjoyed his company ever since – because I reckon he is the change-maker our relationship needs. With Modi, I felt sure, we could not only do a great free-trade deal but also build a long-term partnership, as friends and equals,” he writes.

Mr Johnson reveals how a “distinctly sniffy” UK Foreign Office had dissuaded him from meeting Mr Modi during an earlier mayoral trade delegation to India in 2012, a problem, he writes, which was “soon dropped” to pave the way for a relationship that “hit an all-time high”.

In the book he also mentions how much he loves India, calling himself a “veteran” of many Indian weddings because his children with Sikh heritage ex-wife Marina Wheeler trace their roots to India.

While he writes with pride of a similar “Anglo-Indian syncretism” in politics with his diverse Cabinet as PM including many British Indians such as Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel, Mr Johnson laments the slow-paced growth of bilateral trade due to unnecessary trade barriers that leave UK visitors “clinking in with duty-free booze” for Indians starved of Scotch whisky at decent prices.

The “tremendous success” of his visit to India as PM in January 2022 he recalls as a much-needed “morale boost” and “balm for the soul” away from an increasingly belligerent domestic politics that would eventually end in his unceremonious exit from 10 Downing Street just a few months later.

He claims he had also wanted to use the visit to make a “gentle point to Narendra” on the issue of relations with Russia at a “global inflection point” with its conflict with Ukraine.

He writes: “I knew all the history and the sensitivities, the reasons for India’s post-war non-alignment with the West, the seemingly unbreakable relationship with Moscow. I understand the Indian dependence – like China’s – on Russian hydrocarbons.”

“But I wondered if it was not time for a modulation, a rethink… As I was to put it to the Indians, Russian missiles were turning out to be less accurate, statistically, than my first serve at tennis. Did they really want to keep Russia as their main supplier of military hardware?” It is in this context that in another section of the book, where he showers the late Queen Elizabeth II with effusive praise for her deep personal knowledge of history and history-makers, he references his efforts to get India to take a “tougher line” with Russians.

“She remembered something the former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had told her in the 1950s. ‘He told me that India will always side with Russia and that some things will never change. They just are.’ I cite that as an illustration of her amazing ability to reassure and to contextualise,” he shares, with reference to his customary weekly audiences with the late monarch as prime minister.

Mr Johnson goes on to credit himself with injecting a broader vision for the India-UK partnership to go beyond trade and climate change and educational partnerships and embark on a whole programme of military and technological collaboration.

“Overcoming the qualms of the MoD (Ministry of Defence), who are always worried about India’s closeness to Russia, we agreed to work together on all kinds of military technology, from submarines to helicopters to marine propulsion units,” he proudly declares.

With ‘Unleashed’, Mr Johnson seems to be keen to stress a lack of bitterness over his undignified removal as PM in the wake of the partygate scandal of Covid law-breaking parties but is clear that it was Rishi Sunak, his eventual successor at 10 Downing Street, who precipitated the problems by resigning as chancellor from his Cabinet in June 2022.

“It was worse than a crime, I thought, it was a mistake – both for Rishi and for the party, never mind the country. So it proved,” he writes, alluding to the recent disastrous general election result for the Tories.

“I don’t blame Rishi for prematurely wanting to be PM; in fact I don’t blame any of them, really, for trying to turf me out. It’s just what Tory MPs do…It goes without saying that if we had all stuck together I have no doubt that we would have gone on to win in 2024, and a lot more of my friends would now have their seats,” he claims.

(Inputs from PTI)
 

London:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been written about fondly by former British PM Boris Johnson in his memoir ‘Unleashed’ which will be available in bookstores in the UK in a few days.

The book, which journeys through Mr Johnson’s very eventful, noteworthy and lively political career mentions about his meetings with Prime Minister Modi, calling him the “change-maker” we need. Writing about his very first meeting with the prime minister, Mr Johnson recalls “a curious astral energy” he had felt.

The former British prime minister has written an entire chapter dedicated to India and described ties between the two nations as “a relationship as good as it has ever been.”

Calling Prime Minister Modi “exactly the partner of friend” he needed, Mr Johnson credited himself and PM Modi for laying the foundation for a free-trade pact between India and the UK.

The significance of India-UK ties could be seen in the former prime minister’s book as he repeatedly mentions the “friendship” shared between the two countries, especially in the context of the Indo-Pacific region and its vision.

“For some reason, we went down to stand in the dark in the plaza by Tower Bridge, in front of a crowd of his supporters,” Mr Johnson writes in the chapter titled ‘Britain and India’, referencing his first meeting with PM Modi during a visit to his City Hall office by the river Thames when he was Mayor of London.

“He raised my arm and chanted something or other in Hindi, and though I couldn’t follow it I felt his curious astral energy. I have enjoyed his company ever since – because I reckon he is the change-maker our relationship needs. With Modi, I felt sure, we could not only do a great free-trade deal but also build a long-term partnership, as friends and equals,” he writes.

Mr Johnson reveals how a “distinctly sniffy” UK Foreign Office had dissuaded him from meeting Mr Modi during an earlier mayoral trade delegation to India in 2012, a problem, he writes, which was “soon dropped” to pave the way for a relationship that “hit an all-time high”.

In the book he also mentions how much he loves India, calling himself a “veteran” of many Indian weddings because his children with Sikh heritage ex-wife Marina Wheeler trace their roots to India.

While he writes with pride of a similar “Anglo-Indian syncretism” in politics with his diverse Cabinet as PM including many British Indians such as Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel, Mr Johnson laments the slow-paced growth of bilateral trade due to unnecessary trade barriers that leave UK visitors “clinking in with duty-free booze” for Indians starved of Scotch whisky at decent prices.

The “tremendous success” of his visit to India as PM in January 2022 he recalls as a much-needed “morale boost” and “balm for the soul” away from an increasingly belligerent domestic politics that would eventually end in his unceremonious exit from 10 Downing Street just a few months later.

He claims he had also wanted to use the visit to make a “gentle point to Narendra” on the issue of relations with Russia at a “global inflection point” with its conflict with Ukraine.

He writes: “I knew all the history and the sensitivities, the reasons for India’s post-war non-alignment with the West, the seemingly unbreakable relationship with Moscow. I understand the Indian dependence – like China’s – on Russian hydrocarbons.”

“But I wondered if it was not time for a modulation, a rethink… As I was to put it to the Indians, Russian missiles were turning out to be less accurate, statistically, than my first serve at tennis. Did they really want to keep Russia as their main supplier of military hardware?” It is in this context that in another section of the book, where he showers the late Queen Elizabeth II with effusive praise for her deep personal knowledge of history and history-makers, he references his efforts to get India to take a “tougher line” with Russians.

“She remembered something the former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had told her in the 1950s. ‘He told me that India will always side with Russia and that some things will never change. They just are.’ I cite that as an illustration of her amazing ability to reassure and to contextualise,” he shares, with reference to his customary weekly audiences with the late monarch as prime minister.

Mr Johnson goes on to credit himself with injecting a broader vision for the India-UK partnership to go beyond trade and climate change and educational partnerships and embark on a whole programme of military and technological collaboration.

“Overcoming the qualms of the MoD (Ministry of Defence), who are always worried about India’s closeness to Russia, we agreed to work together on all kinds of military technology, from submarines to helicopters to marine propulsion units,” he proudly declares.

With ‘Unleashed’, Mr Johnson seems to be keen to stress a lack of bitterness over his undignified removal as PM in the wake of the partygate scandal of Covid law-breaking parties but is clear that it was Rishi Sunak, his eventual successor at 10 Downing Street, who precipitated the problems by resigning as chancellor from his Cabinet in June 2022.

“It was worse than a crime, I thought, it was a mistake – both for Rishi and for the party, never mind the country. So it proved,” he writes, alluding to the recent disastrous general election result for the Tories.

“I don’t blame Rishi for prematurely wanting to be PM; in fact I don’t blame any of them, really, for trying to turf me out. It’s just what Tory MPs do…It goes without saying that if we had all stuck together I have no doubt that we would have gone on to win in 2024, and a lot more of my friends would now have their seats,” he claims.

(Inputs from PTI)
 

What are we expecting in terms of turnout this year relative to the past few elections? And historically, is there a statistical relationship in the U.K. between turnout and the prospects for the incumbent?

I don’t know of any relationship between turnout and incumbency. On balance, we would expect turnout, I think, to be low this time. There are two things that tend to militate in favour of a low turnout. One is people thinking that it’s a foregone conclusion. And everyone is convinced that Labour is going to win. And the second is when people have a sense that there is not that much difference between the big two parties. That tends to drive turnout down as well. Now, it’s very hard to predict because the counterargument is there’s so much anger against the Conservative Party that people who don’t normally vote will go out to register their discontent. So we are never certain until the day but there are reasons for thinking that turnout will be low.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has the worst approval ratings, according to some polls, since 1979. He has promised to not jump ship and move back to California. How does Mr. Sunak’s political future look if he loses his own seat?

I think the cynical approach to that question will be to say he might be quietly relieved if he loses his seat because then he does not have to honour his pledge to stay in Parliament for the next five years. Most people I have spoken to seem to think it’s very, very unlikely that if he wins his seat, he will stay in Parliament, or if he does stay in Parliament that he will attend Parliament very often at all. But we will have to wait and see. But of course, if he does lose his seat, then he spared that difficult decision.

If he wins his seat, it’s unlikely he will attend Parliament?

I just think for a former Prime Minister who has lost in humiliating circumstances, who then has to sit around — while his party picks a new leader, and the candidates will queue up to say why he was wrong in what he did — it will not be the most comfortable work environment to be in.

How do you think the Conservative Party is going to look, post-Sunak?

The simple and rather disappointing answer is: we don’t know. And we don’t know largely because we’re not sure how many MPs are going to be left in Parliament…And remember, it’s the MPs who choose the two candidates [for party leader] who go to the ballot of members.

Is Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. party here to stay? Are they going to be a consistent force competing for votes with the conservatives? How is their support spread across the U.K.? [Nigel Farage was one of the leaders of the Brexit campaign and is currently not an MP].

One of the trends we saw before the Brexit referendum was a steady decline in the vote share of the two big parties — Labour and Conservative. And UKIP, which was a forerunner of Reform, was one of the beneficiaries of that. So in 2015, UKIP got almost four million votes. We will see if Reform does better than that four million votes or not. But it does seem to me that this is going to be another election where the vote share of the two big parties is going to drop and where other parties are going to do well. So, I think Reform is here to stay. Unless, and this will depend on a lot of things we can’t predict it is conceivable, there’s been a lot of talk about the fact that if Nigel Farage wins a seat in Parliament, he might consider jumping ship to the Conservatives because he wants to be a Conservative rather than in Reform because the Conservatives are a bigger brand, better databases, better voter tracking and things like that. Now, a lot of politicians in the Conservative Party have come out and said that Nigel Farage cannot join the Conservatives. Again, we’ll have to wait and see what the Conservatives look like after the election. It is conceivable, just about, that Reform get a bigger share of the vote than the Conservative Party, though, because the Reform vote is pretty evenly spread across the country, they’re not going to get many MPs at all.

David Lammy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, has recently said an FTA (‘free’ trade agreement) is the floor, not the ceiling, of a relationship with India. Labour is also looking to reset its relationship with India. Some of that has already started. The Indian High Commissioner also recently said that asking for visas is not India’s number one priority in the FTA context. Will Keir Starmer have more bandwidth to negotiate a free trade agreement with India because his hands are less tied in terms of migration and perhaps he has less to prove in terms of exercising post-Brexit freedoms?

It’s interesting on immigration because, on the one hand, Labour has continued to talk tough: they are going to reduce numbers, they are going to stop so many immigrants coming in by improving training for British workers and things like that…But on the other hand, Labour voters are not concerned about immigration. Immigration is not a top concern for Labour voters. And it looks like Labour is going to have the unexpected presence of coming into office and seeing a significant fall in immigration numbers because of the decisions taken by the current government. So it might be that that gives Labour a little bit more freedom than their predecessors to talk about a deal with the Indians, including visas, because it might not be the top requirement, but it’s certainly an important requirement for the Government of India. So it could be that Labour sees an opportunity to be a bit more flexible.

There’s a political rationale for some of this. I am not doubting for a moment that they are genuinely interested in strengthening this strategic partnership with India, but Labour has been in recent times, struggling to keep hold of Indian Hindu voters who have been tending to turn their backs on the party. And I am sure that party strategists who say whatever the foreign policy benefits are, and there are several, of a good relationship with India, and there are political dividends to be had as well.

The Conservative manifesto seems to have more detail on the relationship with China. Is that because they have the advantage of having been in office for 14 years? Are you seeing any major shifts in the U.K.’s China policy; the Labour manifesto sounded fairly high level on its China policy.

I think on the Tories, there are three things. One, yes, they have been in government and have had to try to address some of these questions, too. Two, there is a very strong strand of opinion inside the Conservative Party that wants to see us be tougher on China. And I think that was reflected in the manifesto. And three, if I can suggest something as cynical as this, it’s easier to promise things if you are pretty convinced you are going to lose.

Labour, you’re absolutely right it’s very, very, vague. Cooperate and compete where we can or where we have to…it’s intensely vague. And I do think it’s the case that Labour has not even begun to confront, in their manifesto, at least [we don’t know in that private thinking], some of the difficult trade-offs that are going to be in the relationship with China. Because, on the one hand, the priority of Kier Starmer is growth, and having flourishing trade with China might be part of that strategy. On the other hand, opinions in this country on China have hardened notably over the last five or six years. I think the U.K will come under significant pressure from the U.S., whoever is in the White House, to take a tougher line on China. So that I think is an issue where we’ll learn as we go what Labour intends to do.

Do you think we are going to be in a position where we can seriously be talking about the U.K. returning to the EU, in some sense, in a few years?

At the moment, I would say there is very little prospect of that. But there are a lot of moving parts. Let’s see how big the Labour majority is; and how bad the conservative defeat is. You can look in terms of Labour being in power for the foreseeable future, I think they might be willing to take more ambitious steps towards the European Union, perhaps at the end of the first term, or towards the second term. The problem for Labour is they need to score some successes quite quickly. And a lengthy negotiation with the EU leading to, ultimately, a closer economic relationship, is not going to give you those quick wins. So I think it is conceivable I mean… anything’s conceivable in British politics these days… but I don’t think it’s for the first term of a Labour government.

Keir Starmer has been criticised for his positions on Israel and Gaza [for example in October 2023 he had implied that Israel had a right to withhold water and power from Palestinians while also saying Israel had to act within the bounds of international law]. Once the elections are done, are we going to see any shifts from Keir Starmer and the Labour Party in terms of Israel and Gaza?

It’s very hard to know, on both Israel and Gaza and Europe. What will be interesting is that the government will face significant pressure from its own side, to move further and faster than they have seemed willing to do today. One of the things we don’t know is how well the leadership will cope with those pressures, whether they will succumb to them, whether they will stand up to them. Those are things we simply don’t know until we see the new government in action. I would say that whilst I think Kier Starmer misspoke in the LBC interview about whether Israel was respecting international law, so I think he probably went further than he intended. I would hazard a guess he was not that upset about it afterwards, because at that point, the key message from Labour’s leadership is, “We have changed”… And there are a few clearer ways of doing that than turning your back on some of these pillars of Labour policy.

London:

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday cited India’s rise as an ‘economic superpower’ as he pledged to create a dynamic, innovative economy fuelled by technological progress.

Insisting that “more will change in the next five years than in the last 30”, Sunak, during his speech on security at the Policy Exchange think-tank, spoke on a “clear plan and bold ideas” to deliver a secure future for the Britons.

He also maintained that “new and fast-growing economic superpowers” like India, Indonesia, and Nigeria are significantly reshaping the global economy.

“We must be prepared strategically and economically, with robust plans and greater national resilience, to meet this time of instability with strength,” said the UK PM while elaborating on the current geopolitical situation.

The UK, which has had five Conservative Prime Ministers since 2010, is expected to go to the polls later this year.

Sunak was only spotlighting the resilience demonstrated by the Indian economy as it successfully mitigated the risks of global economic downturn over the recent years, including the Covid-19 aftermath.

“I see India as Asia’s Silicon Valley and the UK as Europe’s Silicon Valley, so there’s a lot we can work on together,” Jeremy Hunt, UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, had said following talks with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi last September.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

London:

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday cited India’s rise as an ‘economic superpower’ as he pledged to create a dynamic, innovative economy fuelled by technological progress.

Insisting that “more will change in the next five years than in the last 30”, Sunak, during his speech on security at the Policy Exchange think-tank, spoke on a “clear plan and bold ideas” to deliver a secure future for the Britons.

He also maintained that “new and fast-growing economic superpowers” like India, Indonesia, and Nigeria are significantly reshaping the global economy.

“We must be prepared strategically and economically, with robust plans and greater national resilience, to meet this time of instability with strength,” said the UK PM while elaborating on the current geopolitical situation.

The UK, which has had five Conservative Prime Ministers since 2010, is expected to go to the polls later this year.

Sunak was only spotlighting the resilience demonstrated by the Indian economy as it successfully mitigated the risks of global economic downturn over the recent years, including the Covid-19 aftermath.

“I see India as Asia’s Silicon Valley and the UK as Europe’s Silicon Valley, so there’s a lot we can work on together,” Jeremy Hunt, UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, had said following talks with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi last September.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met with his United Kingdom counterpart, Tim Barrow, on Thursday for the India-UK Strategic Dialogue.

During this meeting, the two top sides held discussions on the “Technology and Security Initiative, which will be a major bilateral mechanism to strengthen cooperation in critical and emerging technologies between the two countries”, government officials said.

They also discussed bilateral issues and regional and global matters of mutual interest.

“This visit will strengthen and further broaden the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries,” said government officials.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with NSA Tim Barrow in Delhi and discussed regional and global issues of importance. Jaishankar and Barrow reviewed the progress in bilateral ties.

In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, “Good to meet UK NSA Tim Barrow today in Delhi. Discussed a range of regional and global issues of importance. Also reviewed the progress in our bilateral ties.”

On May 7, a 21-member delegation of the Royal College of Defence Studies began their India visit by laying a wreath to pay their homage at the war memorial in New Delhi.

The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) is a British military staff college that trains senior officers from the British Armed Forces, Civil Service, and Diplomatic Service in international security and national defence.

The college’s goal is to develop strategic thinkers and leaders who can work at the strategic level in a cross-government and international environment.

The delegation of the UK-based academy is on an India visit and will be travelling across the country as part of their study tour.

Sharing details regarding the visit, UK Defence Adviser in India, Brigadier Nick Sawyer stated, “A delegation of the Royal College of Defence Studies today began their India visit by visiting the @salute2soldier in New Delhi and laying a wreath to pay their homage to the fallen soldiers. The 21-member cohort will be travelling across the country as part of their study tour.”

Notably, the ties between India and the UK are bound by strong ties of history and culture, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK’s then-PM Boris Johnson agreed to the India-UK ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ and India-UK Roadmap 2030 to steer cooperation for the next 30 years.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)