UK’s foreign secretary Lammy arrives in India to push free trade deal

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy began working Wednesday to reinvigorate a stalled push for a free-trade agreement with India after arriving in New Delhi for his first official visit.

The two countries have spent more than two years negotiating what would be an important milestone for Britain as it seeks alternative markets following its 2020 exit from the European Union.

Lammy is travelling to India less than three weeks after taking office following the Labour Party’s election win under new Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“India is the emerging superpower of the 21st century, the largest country in the world with 1.4 billion people and one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” Lammy was quoted as saying in a statement by Britain’s foreign office.

“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.”

Lammy will meet his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar and commerce minister Piyush Goyal during his two-day trip to Delhi.

He will also hold high-level meetings with environment and business leaders to galvanize support for action on the climate crisis, with India being an “indispensable partner.”

Lammy said resetting Britain’s relationship with the Global South was a key part of the new government’s agenda.

Labour came to power in a landslide victory over the Conservatives earlier this month.

The previous government had been seeking to secure the Indian trade deal since January 2022 but hit several roadblocks.

In exchange for lowering tariffs on British imports such as whiskey, India has pushed for more work and study visas for its citizens, in line with similar deals struck between Britain and Australia and New Zealand.

Lammy will travel from India to the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Laos.

India marked the 75th anniversary of independence from Britain in 2022, the same year it overtook the country to become the world’s fifth-largest economy.

That was also the year Starmer’s predecessor Rishi Sunak became the first British prime minister of South Asian descent.