UK TRADE secretary Peter Kyle will visit New Delhi this week for talks aimed at speeding up the implementation of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the government said on Monday.
Kyle is due to arrive in the Indian capital on Tuesday and will hold discussions with commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on bringing the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into force “as quickly as possible”.
The trade agreement, described by both sides as a priority, is expected to strengthen the India-UK trade partnership worth £48 billion annually. The deal had faced delays linked to Britain’s planned steel import restrictions.
“From whisky to automotives, this landmark deal will unlock massive opportunities for businesses and consumers in the UK and India,” Kyle said in a statement issued before the visit.
The cabinet minister said his visit to Delhi would help “progress implementing this win-win agreement, which is worth billions to our economies”.
“I look forward to working with Piyush Goyal to make sure everybody can start to feel the benefits as soon as possible,” he added.
The UK government said Kyle’s visit comes at a time of rapid global change and reflects Britain’s focus on advancing its economic partnership with India to support growth in both countries.
It said the FTA will liberalise 99 per cent of UK tariffs and 90 per cent of Indian tariffs, helping to make exports and trade between the two countries cheaper, quicker and easier.
During the visit, Kyle will also meet Indian and British industry leaders to help businesses prepare for the implementation of the CETA.
“The UK-India FTA is the biggest and most economically significant bilateral trade deal the UK has agreed since leaving the European Union. It covers 30 chapters – including standalone chapters on gender, innovation, environment and labour – making it one of the most comprehensive trade deals that India has ever signed,” a UK government statement said.
Kyle’s visit coincides with the India trip of foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, who is scheduled to arrive from China on Thursday for talks with external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
The British government said ongoing global conflicts, including the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, are causing economic shocks across major economies and that strengthening the UK’s economic partnership with India remains a key priority.
Kyle’s India visit follows a UK trade mission to Mumbai in October last year.
At the time, he was part of prime minister Keir Starmer’s delegation of 125 CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders seeking opportunities across sectors in India.
The trade mission followed the signing of the India-UK CETA and ‘Vision 2035’ during prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK in July 2025.
According to projections by the UK Department for Business and Trade, the India-UK FTA could raise annual bilateral trade by £25.5 billion and increase GDP by nearly £5 billion in each country in the long term.
