Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Johnson's visit: UK and Indian businesses confirm deals worth £1bn

Johnson's visit: UK and Indian businesses confirm deals worth £1bn

PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson will announce new investments and export deals worth more than £1 billion by UK and Indian businesses on Thursday (21) as part of his ongoing India visit, according to a statement.

These agreements in areas from software engineering to health would create almost 11,000 jobs across the UK, it added.


These include, a new Switch Mobility electric bus R&D centre in the UK and the opening of their Asia Pacific Headquarters in Chennai, generating over 1000 jobs in the UK in India, Bharat Forge and electric truck maker Tevva Motors would expand to a new site in the south-east and create 500 new jobs, India's Mastek will invest £79mn to create 1600 jobs over the next three years across the UK and FirstSource will open new offices in South Wales, the Midlands and cities in the North-East and North-West.

Besides, Hertfordshire-based firm Smith & Nephew has signed a major export deal to sell robotic surgical systems in India, and Northamptonshire business Scott Bader will open a new resins factory to supply top renewable energy companies in south-east Asia.

Johnson will also welcome UK-based satellite communications company OneWeb to sign a historic contract for satellite launches with New Space India Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

"As I arrive in India today, I see vast possibilities for what our two great nations can achieve together. From next-generation 5G telecoms and AI to new partnerships in health research and renewable energy – the UK and India are leading the world," Johnson said.

"Our powerhouse partnership is delivering jobs, growth and opportunities for our people, and it will only go from strength-to-strength in the coming years."

GettyImages 1240125769 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (2R) listens to a student inside the laboratory of the Gujarat Biotechnology University in Gandhinagar on April 21, 2022. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Johnson will visit a new factory being opened by a top British firm in Gujarat, as well as a biotechnology university working in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh.

The UK will confirm major new science and tech collaboration, including a digital health partnership and a joint investment fund for Indian deep-tech and AI start-ups, supported by the UK and Indian governments.

New AI scholarships for Indian students jointly funded by the UK government’s Chevening programme and India’s Adani Group and a £6m investment from AI healthcare specialists Qure-ai to open a Centre of Excellence in the UK are other major collaborations happening as part of the prime minister's visit.

According to the statement, negotiating teams will hold their third round of formal talks on the landmark UK-India trade deal in India next week.

Work is already progressing on cutting red tape for businesses following the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership launched by both prime ministers last year. The governments will announce new measures to make it easier to export UK-made medical devices to India.

This will support UK jobs and create opportunities for British med-tech companies like Redcar-based Micropore Technologies to sell their lifesaving products in India, an official statement added.

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less