India trade talks set to be revived with first major UK ministerial visit
free trade agreement negotiations are set to be defined this week as UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected in India on Tuesday, the first high-profile visit under the newly elected Labour government in Britain. The free trade agreement (FTA) talks began in January 2022, under the then Conservative government, with a target to significantly boost the GBP 38.1 billion a year bilateral trading partnership but hit a block in the fourteenth round of negotiations to make way for general elections in both countries.
A report in 'The Daily Telegraph' on Sunday quotes a New Delhi source to claim the Indian side would seek clarity on whether the Labour government intends to pick things up from where they were left off or start afresh in some way.
«India is keen to resume talks on a positive note, but the date needs clarity,» the source told the newspaper.
«The trade deal was at the final stage in the previous government, and we want to see whether the Labour government wants to start from where we left it in March before the elections or start afresh from scratch. Our stance on visas for professionals remains unchanged. We are expecting a positive outcome under the Labour government,» the source added.
During his last major intervention on India-UK relations just days before Labour's landslide electoral victory earlier this month, Lammy told India Global Forum (IGF) in London that he intends to get the deal done as soon as possible.
«My message to [Finance] Minister [Nirmala] Sitharaman and [Trade] Minister
