Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

UK should invest time into establishing trade deals with India: Report

Britain should prioritise free trade agreements with key Commonwealth nations like India following Brexit, says a new report released on Tuesday (10).

The report by the UK’s Free Enterprise Group suggests a five-step plan for the UK as it gets ready to leave the EU, which begins with striking pacts with the Commonwealth’s open economies of Australia, Canada, Singapore and New Zealand to secure Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in time for Brexit.


As a second step, the UK should pursue an FTA with India.

“The UK’s largest Commonwealth export destination India is a prize worth pursuing. Significant time should be invested by the UK into a trade-only deal. However, this will take time. Australia, Canada and New Zealand are all in the process of FTAs with India that have already taken five to six years,” the report notes.

‘Reconnecting with the Commonwealth: The UK’s free trade opportunities’ co-authored by Conservative party MP James Cleverly and Tim Hewish, executive director of Commonwealth Exchange, highlights the importance of shared language, common law tradition, diaspora networks, and historic cultural links with countries like India as a key to forming new ties following Britain’s exit from the 28-member economic bloc.

“The best way to ensure that free trade has few losers, even in the short term, is to begin with much freer trade between likeminded countries with comparable standards of living. Free trade agreements with economically advanced Commonwealth countries are the obvious place for Britain to start,” says former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott in his foreword to the report.

“The government must a publish a plan to utilise the ‘Commonwealth Advantage’ and build our trade links with the Commonwealth. A market of 2.3 billion people and some of the fastest growing economies in the world is too big an opportunity to ignore,” adds Cleverly.

The report says the UK is the largest EU goods export destination for numerous Commonwealth countries such as India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. It is also the second largest for Bangladesh, Kenya, and Papua New Guinea, providing a strong motive for Commonwealth countries to form trade deals with the UK.

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