PM Rishi Sunak's team in New Delhi for FTA talks: Report

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s team consisting of senior officials is in New Delhi to negotiate for an India-UK free trade agreement (FTA).

According to a report by The Guardian, while there is no official comment from either side on such a visit, the Indian government wants to finalise the deal by the end of February.

Both countries are heading into an election year in 2024 and signing off on a trade agreement with India will bolster Sunak’s electoral pitch to voters showing signs of anti-incumbency towards his governing Conservatives.

An official close to the developments told the British newspaper, “The deal is still very much on and we think it is possible before both countries have their elections. Both sides are keen to get this done.”

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had set Diwali 2022 as the deadline of the FTA deal with talks beginning on the subject in January 2022.

Since then, UK and India have had 13 rounds of negotiations. Sunak’s Tory government, however, is wary of fixing any firm timelines to clinch a deal that is expected to significantly enhance the GBP 36-billion bilateral trading partnership.

“The UK and India continue to work towards an ambitious trade deal that works for both countries. We have always been clear we will only sign a deal that is fair, balanced, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy,” said a spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), reiterating the official UK government line.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that FTA was among the many topics of discussion during his recent visit to Britain.

“We have made substantial progress… I think both sides are very aware of the importance of the FTA and will make the utmost effort to get there. So, we have to take it as it happens,” Jaishankar told reporters after he met with Sunak and other senior Cabinet ministers.

With inputs from PTI