Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Britain prioritising India trade deal but can't give timeline, says James Cleverly

Cleverly also declined to say whether it could be finalised this year.

Britain prioritising India trade deal but can't give timeline, says James Cleverly

Britain is prioritising reaching a free-trade agreement with India, its foreign minister told Reuters on Saturday in his first visit to the country, but declined to give a new deadline after missing one this month.

James Cleverly said after a meeting with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar in New Delhi that ties between the two countries would improve further under Rishi Sunak, who this week became Britain's first prime minister with Indian roots.

"I had a fantastic opportunity to talk about some incredibly important global issues, but also to talk about the strength of the bilateral partnership and about our plans to work more closely with India," Cleverly said in an interview at the residence of the British High Commissioner.

He declined to say what was holding up the trade deal, which both of Sunak's predecessors in a turbulent few months in British politics, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, had hoped would be signed by Monday's festival of Diwali.

Cleverly also declined to say whether it could be finalised this year.

"But this is an important agreement for us and one that we are really prioritising and one that we will continue to ensure that our officials and our ministers speak about regularly and work hard to deliver," he said.

"We've got a lot of work done. And it's incredibly important that we remember that an extensive free trade agreement like the one we're negotiating, it's never going to be simple, but it's an incredibly important vehicle to build on our already strong relationship and to make it really future-focused."

Previous sticking points included a steep import duty on British whiskey for sale in India. New Delhi is also keen on easier British visa for Indians.

Cleverly said "we want to make sure that our visa arrangements are quick and are easy, convenient".

The countries want to double bilateral trade by 2030, from more than $31 billion now.

Asked about a G7 plan to cap Russian oil prices and its bid to get countries such as India to agree to it, Cleverly said Britain would not set New Delhi's foreign policy. India and Russia have close defence ties and India has become a big buyer of Russian oil since the Ukraine war started.

"I don't think it would be right for me as a British politician to dictate policy to another country," he said.

(Reuters)

More For You

indian-army-reuters

Indian security force personnel stand guard at the site of the attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 24, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Indian and Pakistani troops exchange fire along Line of Control

INDIAN and Pakistani troops exchanged fire overnight along the Line of Control in Kashmir, officials from both sides said on Friday.

The exchange took place days after a deadly attack in the region and amid calls from the United Nations for both countries to show "maximum restraint".

Keep ReadingShow less
India declares state mourning for Pope Francis, Modi leads tributes

A sculpture by Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik in Puri, Odisha, on Monday (21)

India declares state mourning for Pope Francis, Modi leads tributes

INDIA began three days of state mourning on Tuesday (22) for the Pope, a rare honour for a foreign religious leader, as prime minister Narendra Modi joined other south Asian and world leaders in paying tributes following his death on Monday (21).

Pope Francis, the 88-year-old leader of 1.4 billion Catholics across the world, died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure, the Vatican said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Minority youth face racist content online once a week, report reveals

As many as 95 per cent of respondents reported encountering violent or abusive racist content online. (Photo: iStock)

Minority youth face racist content online once a week, report reveals

MOST young people from black and minority communities in Britain encounter racist content online, a new study revealed, with more than half reporting it damages their sense of safety.

The "Youth, Race and Social Media" report published on Thursday (24) highlighted a troubling picture of online racism and its effects on young people aged 16-24.

Keep ReadingShow less
england-gp-iStock

The researchers analysed data from over 8,500 GPs between 2015 and 2021 as part of the GP work life survey. (Representational image: iStock)

GPs in England’s deprived areas face lower pay, greater pressure: Report

GPs working in the most deprived areas of England earn an average of £5,525 less per year than those in wealthier areas, according to a study by the University of Manchester published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

The researchers analysed data from over 8,500 GPs between 2015 and 2021 as part of the GP work life survey.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

Prince Harry criticised tech companies for citing privacy laws to deny access

Getty

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for stronger protections for children online, warning that not enough is being done to shield young people from the dangers of social media

During a visit to New York, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveiled a new memorial dedicated to the memory of children whose families believe harmful online content contributed to their deaths. The installation, named the Lost Screen Memorial, features 50 smartphones, each displaying an image of a child lost to what their families describe as the adverse effects of social media. The memorial was made available to the public for 24 hours.

Keep ReadingShow less