Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

India, UK launch three new bilateral trade working groups

INDIA and the UK launched three new bilateral working groups on Monday (15) to tackle remaining barriers to trade in food and drink, life sciences and healthcare, digital and data services.

These working groups will be run by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) alongside the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).


The three groups will identify solutions to the key issues in each sector, making recommendations directly to the UK and Indian ministers.

The three new bilateral working groups were launched as part of the 13th Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting in London.

The UK secretary of state for international trade, Liam Fox, and his counterpart, India’s minister of commerce, Piyush Goyal, met with businesses at JETCO meeting as part of the bilateral talks.

Goyal, also met a diverse group of UK businesses including SMEs and MNC investors to discuss market access barriers and delivering ease of doing business reform in a meeting that included secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, James Brokenshire, and others.

Across all sectors, it became clear throughout the day that taking Ease of Doing Business reforms down to the state and district levels will be a major part of transforming the day-to-day operating environment, especially for SMEs.

Chairing the Ease of Doing Business session between businesses and Goyal, UKIBC CEO, Richard Heald, OBE, said: “The early signs from the newly re-elected Government in India suggest serious commitment towards stepping up the ease of doing business reform.

“Based on today’s JETCO discussions between Ministers and businesses on both sides, there is real optimism that India will break into the top-50 for ease of doing business globally, and should set its sights yet further still as the UK seeks to forge an ever closer and strategic post-BREXIT relationship with India.”

In a meeting for Indian businesses, the UKIBC and CII hosted leading Indian investors in the UK for direct talks with senior Home Office officials as part of consultations on the UK government’s new skills-based immigration White Paper.

It is often said that India will require more access to UK work visas as part of any future trade deal.

Engagement with India and Indian businesses has been the top priority for the UK government since the White Paper was released in December 2018, with the first overseas consultation visit being to India in January this year, UKIBC said in a release.

Although India already receives 60 per cent of all work visas the UK issues – more than the rest of the world combined.

UK-India trade relations are reviewed annually at the JETCO between the UK’s secretary of state for international trade and India’s minister of commerce every year since 2005.

More For You

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

Workers are engaged at their sewing stations in a garment factory in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

BANGLADESH, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the US before Donald Trump's punishing tariffs kick in next week, said the country's top commerce official.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his "Liberation Day" announcement.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Bond yields ease following Starmer’s support for Reeves

THE COST of UK government borrowing fell on Thursday, partially reversing the rise seen after Chancellor Rachel Reeves became emotional during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The yield on 10-year government bonds dropped to 4.55 per cent, down from 4.61 per cent the previous day. The pound also recovered slightly to $1.3668 (around £1.00), though it did not regain all its earlier losses.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Indian exporters watch closely as Trump says trade deal with India likely

THE US could reach a trade deal with India that would help American companies compete more easily in the Indian market and reduce tariff rates, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. However, he cast doubt on a similar deal with Japan.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he believed India was ready to lower trade barriers, potentially paving the way for an agreement that would avoid the 26 per cent tariff rate he had announced on April 2 and paused until July 9.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

Customers shop for 'Kolhapuri' sandals, an Indian ethnic footwear, at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

INDIAN footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Economy grew 0.7 per cent in Q1 2025, fastest in a year

THE UK economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2025, driven by a rise in home purchases ahead of a tax deadline and higher manufacturing output before the introduction of new US import tariffs.

Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 per cent in the January-to-March period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, confirming its earlier estimate. This was the strongest quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less