Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

The people of the Indian diaspora strengthen our economy, culture and society: Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

Bridge India's inaugural Ideas for India conference brought together 500+ stakeholders from across India and the world.

The people of the Indian diaspora strengthen our economy, culture and society: Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

The inaugural edition of the Ideas for India conference ended on Friday after three days of rich discussion on public policy. The three-day event on 18-20 May was held to celebrate India’s 75th anniversary of Independence, with speakers providing their vision for where they see India in the coming 25 years.

Day 1 featured an education delegation to Birmingham, hosted by Birmingham City University. Day 2 featured a Policy Forum on closer UK-India relations, the Commonwealth Education Conference and an Awards evening in Parliament. Day 3 featured the main plenary sessions, including discussions on India’s leadership in addressing climate change, tackling misinformation, unemployment, skill development, women’s participation in the workforce and building India’s institutions.


The event marked a culmination of three years of thought leadership from Bridge India, a progressive non-profit think tank dedicated to discourse on public policy. Registered as a charity in June 2019, it has engaged in high-level conversations with Ministers, CEOs and Ambassadors from more than a dozen countries, including those as diverse as India, Afghanistan, Israel, Uganda and Mauritius. In doing so, it is the leading Indian diaspora-led think tank in Europe.

The ‘India Story’ abroad is often presented through a narrow lens, be it focusing only on business and the economy, society or policy landscape. Given its diversity, everything about India, and its polar opposite, is true in unison. The Ideas for India conference sought to highlight and celebrate this nuance, to help India-watchers understand India better.

It saw participation from more than 500 attendees over the three days, including 50 international delegates from India, Bangladesh, Malta, Singapore and the USA. In a true celebration of the breadth of India, MPs, Members of Legislative Assembly and other policymakers from seven political parties, across nine states in India attended the event.

The inaugural edition was an incredible success, with even the Indian Minister of External Affairs for India S Jaishankar tweeting a video clip of the event. Sessions from Ideas for India featured on prime time TV news in India and several stories ranked in the top ten trending stories of the day. 

LEAD 1 Lord Tariq Ahmad Lord Tariq Ahmad

Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State at the FCDO, said: “I’m grateful to the team at Bridge India for organising this important conference. It provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate the deep friendship between our two countries, and also look to the future. It is this trusted partnership that extends to trade as well. We’ve already got a strong track history on this. Just look at Reliance Industries’ recent investment into the UK battery industry.”

Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, said: “It was an honour to speak at the Bridge India  conference. I first visited India many years ago and discovered such an incredible, diverse country. The people of the Indian diaspora strengthen our economy, culture and society – but are also at the heart of our communities.”

Rahul Gandhi, Member of Parliament from Kerala, was the keynote speaker during Day 3. He said: “Democracy in India is a global public good. We’re the only people who have managed democracy at our unparalleled scale. [I] had an enriching exchange on a wide range of topics at the Ideas For India conference in London.” 

JOHN D MCHUGHAFP via Getty Images Lord John Browne (Photo: John D McHugh/AFP via Getty Images)

Lord John Browne, Chairman of BeyondNetZero, was the keynote speaker at the dinner celebrating 75 years of India’s independence. On the evening theme of sustainability and climate change, he referenced a seminal speech he gave at Stanford University exactly 25 years ago where he talked about how oil companies needed to look towards technologies to promote climate action.

Ashwin Kumaraswamy, trustee, said: “India’s national identity has been built on unity in diversity, and it has long celebrated the commonality of major differences amongst its people. It offers many truths, each of which give shape and substance to the idea of India. We’re proud that in our inaugural conference we were able to engage stakeholders from policy, technology, business, academia and civil society across three days. We were able to showcase an India conversation that was progressive, inclusive and diverse in the ideas it discussed.”

Other notable participants included Dr Ashwath Narayan (Minister for Higher Education, IT, BT, Skill Development and Livelihood, Karnataka), Tejashwi Yadav (Leader, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Bihar), Sitaram Yechury (General Secretary, CPI-M), Salman Khurshid (former Minister for External Affairs, India), Mahua Moitra (Member of Parliament, West Bengal) and Pradyot Manika (Chairman, TIPRA, Tripura).

More For You

Pakistan floods

A flooded street near Station Road after heavy rainfall in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on June 27, 2025.

Getty

Pakistan reports 45 deaths from flash floods and rain in monsoon onset

AT LEAST 45 people have died in Pakistan over the past few days due to flash flooding and heavy rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to disaster management officials on Sunday.

The highest number of deaths was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. There, 21 people were killed, including 10 children.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK Weather Alert: June Heatwave to Hit 34°C, Breaking Records

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record

iStock

UK set for one of the hottest June days with highs of 34°C

Key points

  • Temperatures may hit 34°C in Greater London and Bedfordshire
  • Amber alert in place across five regions due to health risks
  • Wimbledon’s opening day to be hottest on record
  • Risk of wildfires in London labelled “severe”
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland remain cooler

Hottest June day in years expected as second UK heatwave peaks

The UK is bracing for potentially one of the hottest June days on record, with temperatures expected to reach 34°C on Monday (30 June). The ongoing heatwave, now in its fourth day, is most intense across the South and East of England, particularly in Greater London and Bedfordshire.

Although there is a small chance of temperatures hitting 35°C, they are unlikely to surpass the all-time June record of 35.6°C set in 1976.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Probing all angles in Air India crash, including sabotage: Minister

INDIA’s junior civil aviation minister said on Sunday that all possible angles, including sabotage, were being looked into as part of the investigation into the Air India crash.

All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner were killed when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. Authorities have identified 19 others who died on the ground. However, a police source told AFP after the crash that the death toll on the ground was 38.

Keep ReadingShow less
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury

Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury

BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.

"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).

Keep ReadingShow less
Three killed, dozens injured in India temple stampede

Police officials visit the site after a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple, in Puri, Odisha, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (PTI Photo)

Three killed, dozens injured in India temple stampede

AT LEAST three people, including two women, died and around 50 others were injured in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, Indian, on Sunday (29) morning, according to local officials.

The incident occurred around 4am (local time) as hundreds of devotees gathered to witness the Rath Yatra (chariot festival), Puri district collector Siddharth S Swain confirmed.

Keep ReadingShow less