Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK and India 'near trade deal' after years of talks

A formal agreement might be saved for a future meeting between prime ministers Keir Starmer and Narendra Modi

UK and India 'near trade deal' after years of talks

FILE PHOTO: Keir Starmer (L) and Narendra Modi talk during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024. (Photo by STEFAN ROUSSEAU/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

THE UK and India are in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) that could be Britain's most significant trade deal since leaving the European Union in 2020, according to sources close to the talks.

Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal met UK officials in London this week, with reports suggesting that most issues have now been resolved after intensive negotiations.


"The final yards are always the hardest, but it's moving at breakneck pace," one person close to the discussions told the Financial Times.

According to reports, Goyal informed business leaders that "25 of 26 matters have been agreed" in the negotiations, though UK government sources cautioned that "the last bits are always the trickiest."

The most difficult area yet to be resolved is India's request to be exempted from the UK's planned "carbon border tax" set to begin in 2027, which would add costs to Indian exports such as steel.

"We need some clarification on your carbon border tax on steel and cement, because steel and cement will be important for us to sell you," said Shashi Tharoor, chair of the Indian parliament's committee on external affairs, as reported by Politico.

Another contentious issue involves whether Indian employees transferred to the UK should be exempt from national insurance contributions to avoid "double taxation."

"Essentially, what we're really looking for is something that you have with other countries which allows people who are already paying to their pension pots back home in India [to] be exempted for the period of their stay here," India's top diplomat in London, Vikram Doraiswami, told Times Radio.

India has apparently accepted that Britain will offer only minor changes to its visa regime, with new rules expected to lead to around 100 additional visas for Indian workers yearly, according to a UK official who spoke to Politico.

This represents a significant compromise from India's opening position, which had proposed larger quotas for professionals, particularly in sectors like IT and healthcare.

The negotiations have gained fresh urgency following US president Donald Trump's imposition of new tariffs. Trump has threatened a 26 per cent "reciprocal" tariff on Indian goods, while the UK already faces a 10 per cent levy on its exports to America.

"As Trump's trade war continues, getting a UK-India deal has gone up the scale in terms of political priorities," Tharoor said. "We all need buffers against the global trade uncertainties that have suddenly shot up in people's consciousness."

However, India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected suggestions that India was rushing a UK deal because of US actions, saying, "It is not as if we're rushing into a UK (free trade agreement) because something is done by Trump in the US."

The trade talks have been in progress for more than three years, having first begun in January 2022 under then-prime minister Boris Johnson. Negotiations were paused in March last year ahead of elections in both countries before being relaunched in February 2025.

Bilateral trade between India and Britain, the world's fifth and sixth-largest economies respectively, reached £41 billion ($54bn) in the 12 months to September 2024, according to UK government estimates.

A No 10 spokesman said negotiations were "constructive and productive" but added: "We've been clear that we will only sign a deal in our best interest."

Meanwhile, sources suggest a formal agreement might be saved for a future meeting between prime ministers Keir Starmer and Narendra Modi in the coming months.

More For You

Trump CEOs

Sitting at the centre of a long table, Trump was flanked by First Lady Melania Trump and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on one side, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the other. (Photo: Getty Images)

At White House dinner, Trump lauds Nadella, Pichai

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump praised Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai during a White House dinner with top technology executives on Thursday. The two Indian-American leaders thanked him for his leadership and for policies in the technology and AI sectors.

Trump described the gathering as a “high IQ group,” calling the executives “the most brilliant people.” Sitting at the centre of a long table, Trump was flanked by First Lady Melania Trump and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on one side, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the other. Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook sat across from him, while Nadella was seated toward one end of the table.

Keep ReadingShow less
Khalistan supporters

Demonstrators gather in support of Khalistan during a Sikh rally outside the Consulate General of India, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 25, 2023.

Getty Images

Ottawa report says Khalistani extremist groups get financial backing in Canada

AT LEAST two Khalistani extremist groups have received financial support from within Canada, according to a new Canadian government report on terror financing.

The report, titled 2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada, named Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation as the groups receiving such support.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bridget Phillipson

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson leaves following a cabinet meeting at Downing Street on September 9, 2025.

Getty Images

Bridget Phillipson joins race for Labour deputy leader

EDUCATION SECRETARY Bridget Phillipson has announced her candidacy for Labour’s deputy leader, becoming the most senior figure to enter the contest so far.

Clapham and Brixton Hill MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy is the only other declared candidate in the race to replace Angela Rayner.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport

Passengers walk back to the reopened terminal after emergency services responded to what they called a 'possible hazardous materials incident' at Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport.

Reuters

Heathrow’s Terminal 4 reopens after hazardous materials alert

HEATHROW Airport has reopened Terminal 4 after it was evacuated on Monday evening following what authorities described as a "possible hazardous materials incident."

The airport said the terminal was declared safe and apologised for the disruption. In a post on X, Heathrow said it was "doing everything we can" to make sure flights depart as planned.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nepal protests

Demonstrators weild stones and sticks as they clash with riot police personnel during a protest outside the parliament in Kathmandu on September 8, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Nepal PM Oli quits as anti-corruption protests spiral, leaving 19 dead

Highlights:

  • Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigns amid violent anti-corruption protests
  • At least 19 killed and more than 100 injured as police clash with demonstrators
  • Social media ban lifted after protests turned deadly across Nepal
  • UN and Amnesty call for probe, two cabinet ministers also resign

NEPAL prime minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday, his aide said, as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.

Keep ReadingShow less