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

Rochdale grooming case

They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)

Seven men convicted of raping 13-year-old girls in Rochdale grooming case

SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.

Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.

Keep ReadingShow less
karan-thakar

Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles

Karun Collection

Karun Thakar Fund to support textile research with scholarships and grants

THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.

The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

Professor Jagtar Singh (Photo: Facebook)

Asian leaders recognised in King's birthday honours list

ASIAN health workers, academics, charity workers and campaigners are among those who have been recognised in the King’s birthday honours list announced tonight (13).

More than a thousand recipients have been awarded for their exceptional achievements, with a particular focus on those who have given their time to public service, according to the Cabinet Office.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)

Air India crash: Probe focuses on engine and flaps; safety checks ordered for 787 fleet

THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.

The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less