Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

‘Hard work’ needed to secure India trade deal says Sunak

Both parties have engaged in trade negotiations for over 18 months, and officials are growing more confident that they can conclude an agreement later this year

‘Hard work’ needed to secure India trade deal says Sunak

Prime minister Rishi Sunak expressed confidence in the possibility of securing a free trade deal with India but cautioned that there is still significant work ahead.

Sunak and Narendra Modi met on Saturday (9) for what Sunak described as a "very warm and productive discussion." Their conversation included a wide range of topics, including trade and collaboration in areas such as education, research, and defense, The Guardian reported.


The meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, where Sunak, after the discussion, expressed confidence that they could collectively address the remaining challenges obstructing a free trade agreement.

"There's a desire on both of our parts to see a successful trade deal concluded...but there is a lot of hard work that's still to go," Sunak told reporters. "There has to be a win-win for both countries."

Negotiations on a trade deal began in January 2022 and have already missed several political deadlines. But recent comments from both Britain and India have suggested progress has been made.

Both parties have engaged in trade negotiations for over 18 months, and officials are growing more confident that they can conclude an agreement later this year.

Sunak said, “Prime minister Modi and I had a very warm and productive discussion on a range of different things. With regard to the trade deal, there is a desire on both our parts to see a successful trade deal concluded.

“The opportunities are there for both countries, but there is a lot of hard work that is still to go and we need to work through that, as we will do.”

Sunak further mentioned that the two leaders had explored potential avenues for future cooperation in defense, scientific research, and education, indicating the possibility of a significantly closer alliance on the horizon.

“India, as this G20 is showing, is going to be one of the most important geopolitical actors over the next years and decades,” he said.

Ahead of the visit to India, Sunak said the British government had no plans to change its approach to cutting net migration in order to seal a deal with India.

A British source close to the negotiations told Reuters in July that talks had gained momentum but that further work was needed on services and tariffs to secure an agreement.

A top Indian trade ministry official said later in July that both countries could sign the trade deal this year as they have reached consensus on the broad contours.

Earlier, Sunak said he would not put an arbitrary deadline on the deal.

(With inputs from Reuters)

More For You

Russell brand

Sexual offences said to have taken place between 1999 and 2005

Getty

Russell Brand faces rape and sexual assault charges involving 4 women

Russell Brand has been formally charged with a series of sexual offences said to have taken place between 1999 and 2005. The comedian and actor faces allegations from four separate women, with the charges including rape, indecent assault, oral rape and further counts of sexual assault.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that Brand has been informed of the charges. A statement from the force said he is to be charged with one count of rape in the Bournemouth area in 1999, one count of indecent assault in Westminster in 2001, one count of oral rape and an additional sexual assault in Westminster in 2004, and a further count of sexual assault in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Keep ReadingShow less
indian-parliament

In the Rajya Sabha, 128 members voted in favour, and 95 opposed it. In the Lok Sabha, 288 MPs supported the bill, while 232 voted against it.

Gatty images

Indian parliament passes the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill

INDIAN parliament has passed a controversial bill seeking to change the way Muslim charitable properties, known as waqf, are managed.

The bill was cleared after hours of heated debate, with the government saying it would bring transparency and the opposition alleging that it targets the Muslim community.

Keep ReadingShow less
Blood donor recruitment event for South Asian community

FILE PHOTO: A nurse prepares a man for a blood donation in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Blood donor recruitment event for South Asian community

THE NHS is holding a blood donor recruitment event at Shepherd's Bush blood donor centre on Saturday (5) to attract South Asian donors to help treat health conditions affecting their community.

South Asian donors are needed to treat thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder which affects people of Mediterranean, south Asian, southeast Asian and Middle Eastern origin. People with thalassemia produce too little or no haemoglobin, causing anaemia, fatigue, breathing issues and other symptoms.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi Yunus

The meeting took place on the sidelines of a regional summit in Thailand. (Photo: X/@ChiefAdviserGoB)

Modi meets Yunus for first talks since Hasina's exit

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi held talks with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Bangkok on Friday.

This was their first meeting since former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from office in 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
US tourist arrested for entering North Sentinel Island

Authorities continue to investigate Polyakov’s actions

Youtube/ Neo-Orientalist

US tourist arrested for entering North Sentinel Island, home to Andaman tribe with no outside contact

Indian police have arrested a 24-year-old American tourist, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, for illegally entering North Sentinel Island, one of the most protected and isolated regions in the world. The remote island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, is home to the Sentinelese tribe, who reject all contact with outsiders and are safeguarded by Indian law.

Polyakov reportedly attempted to make contact with the Sentinelese by offering a coconut and a can of Diet Coke. He used a motorised inflatable boat to reach North Sentinel Island, where he spent a few minutes onshore before returning to his vessel. Authorities confirmed that he collected sand samples and filmed his brief landing using a GoPro camera.

Keep ReadingShow less