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UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in New Delhi to meet government representatives, business leaders and climate experts to “unlock the full potential” of the UK-India partnership and reinforce the country’s commitment to securing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India, according to the British government.
“I am traveling to India in my first month as Foreign Secretary because resetting our relationship with the Global South is a key part of how this government will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home,” Lammy stated in a release issued by the British High Commission on Wednesday.
Talks on strengthening trade and economic ties will also be high on the Foreign Secretary’s agenda. “Our Free Trade Agreement negotiations is the floor not the ceiling of our ambitions to unlock our shared potential and deliver growth, from Bengaluru to Birmingham. We have shared interests on the green transition, new technologies, economic security and global security,” Lammy said.
Britain’s Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, swept to power in the July 4 elections after being in the opposition for over a decade.
Lammy is set to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday evening, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. He will depart on Friday morning.
“David Lammy will highlight the importance of the new partnership with India that focuses on economic, domestic and global security. He will hold high-level meetings with the Indian Government, as well as climate and business leaders,” the British High Commission statement noted.
Lammy will also meet business leaders to highlight how the UK and India are working together on shared ambitions such as cutting-edge science to encourage innovation, boost trade, and improve the livelihoods of working people in both countries.
The India-UK FTA talks were started under the Conservative government in January 2022, but they have bipartisan support. Starmer pledged support to the negotiations earlier this month, and said that the countries would work on a pact that suited both sides.
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