UK PM Starmer Visits India to Boost Post-Deal Relations
By Global Leaders Insights Team | Oct 08, 2025
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer kicked off a two-day visit to India on Wednesday, bringing along over 100 leaders from business, culture, and education to build on a new free trade agreement (FTA) signed with India in July.
The goal is to make the most of what’s being called the UK’s biggest trade deal since Brexit.
The agreement, finalized after three years of on-and-off talks during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UK visit, lowers tariffs on everything from textiles to whisky and cars.
It also opens doors for businesses in both countries to work together more easily. Experts predict the deal will boost UK-India trade by £25.5 billion ($34 billion) by 2040. Starmer called it a “launchpad for growth,” pointing out that India is on track to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2028. “The possibilities here are huge,” he said.
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Starmer’s group includes big names like BP, Rolls-Royce, and BT, showing how serious the UK is about deepening ties. The whisky industry is also celebrating, as the deal cuts tariffs on Scotch from 150% to 75%, with plans to drop them to 40% over the next decade—a big relief for UK exporters.
On Thursday, Starmer will sit down with Modi to talk about getting the deal fully in place within the next year. For Starmer, this trip is part of a bigger push to spark economic growth back home, especially with a tricky budget coming up in November.
To make travel easier, British Airways is adding a third daily flight from London Heathrow to Delhi in 2026, and Manchester Airport will launch a new Delhi route with IndiGo. These moves show how the UK and India are gearing up for closer ties.
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This visit is all about turning a trade deal on paper into real-world opportunities, setting both nations up for a stronger economic future.
