Days after UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds revealed plans for a visit to India next month at the India Global Forum (IGF) Annual Parliamentary Lunch, a minister in his Department of Business and Trade (DBT) updated the House of Commons on the relaunch of UK-India trade negotiations in February.
Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade in the DBT, was responding to questions in Parliament when Opposition Conservative MP Bob Blackman asked about the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.
Thomas said: “The Secretary of State [Reynolds] will travel to Delhi in February to relaunch trade talks with India. Work is under way across Government to prepare for those negotiations as we seek a deal that drives economic growth.
“An agreement with India, projected to be the fourth-largest global importer by 2035, could provide further opportunities for businesses across the UK and further unlock growth.”
Blackman went on to ask if the Labour government will ensure that the UK gains access to the services market in India, which has previously been denied to UK firms. “That is the key issue in our negotiations,” stated Blackman, MP for Harrow East in London.
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Thomas, from his neighbouring constituency of Harrow West, responded: “We are determined to do everything we can to secure a trade deal with India. He will forgive me, I am sure, if I do not give a running commentary on our priorities for those trade talks with India, but they represent a significant prize for the UK if we can reach an agreement.
“The Secretary of State and the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security [Douglas Alexander] are determined to work extremely hard and do everything they can to reach an agreement.”
It comes against the backdrop of UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announcing that the stalled UK-India FTA talks would relaunch in early 2025, following his bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pictured above) at the G20 Summit in November last year.
