India and the United Kingdom are set to restart negotiations on the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA), sources told ANI. UK Trade Minister Douglas Alexander is expected to visit India next week, where he will meet Union Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to discuss strategies for expediting the agreement.
The FTA aims to enhance trade and investment between the two nations by lowering tariffs and improving market access for businesses. Both sides have been working toward a comprehensive deal covering goods, services, technology, and investment. The upcoming discussions will focus on resolving key issues and finding common ground.
The decision to relaunch talks follows a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the G20 Summit in Brazil. In November 2024, Richard Heald, Chair of the UK-India Business Council, highlighted the FTA’s transformative potential, noting that it would ease business expansion and investment between the two nations. Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, also confirmed that the UK government had completed its internal review and was prepared to restart negotiations.
Formal India-UK FTA negotiations began on January 13, 2022, with 13 rounds of discussions completed by December 2023. The 14th round, which commenced on January 10, 2024, was paused in May due to UK elections. Following the Modi-Starmer meeting at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the UK officially announced the resumption of trade negotiations.
Both countries remain committed to reaching a comprehensive and ambitious trade agreement that strengthens economic ties and fosters mutual growth.
