Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

UK trade minister: India deal may not have everything on services

Prime Minister Liz Truss has prioritised a trade deal with India as part of an Indo-Pacific tilt, and Britain has already announced post-Brexit agreements with Australia and New Zealand.

UK trade minister: India deal may not have everything on services

A trade deal between Britain and India might not contain everything that the services sector wants, UK trade minister Kemi Badenoch said on Tuesday as a deadline to complete the deal approaches.

Before stepping down, former prime minister Boris Johnson set a target with Indian leader Narendra Modi to complete a free trade agreement (FTA) by Diwali on Oct 24.


"We want something comprehensive, but it has to be right for both countries," Badenoch said at the Conservative Party's annual conference.

"(The deadline) is not arbitrary ... it was set quite a while ago. But doing a trade deal is not a simple and easy thing. So what we want to do is something that lifts both countries. It may not be everything that the services sector wants."

Prime Minister Liz Truss has prioritised a trade deal with India as part of an Indo-Pacific tilt, and Britain has already announced post-Brexit agreements with Australia and New Zealand.

Johnson previously said a deal with India could double trade and investments between the countries by the end of the decade.

Badenoch was appointed trade secretary by Truss last month and acknowledged that she was still getting up to speed on trade issues but experts in her department had been working hard.

She said any deal that was agreed upon could also be expanded at a later date.

"Just because we have a free trade agreement, it doesn't mean that we can't do even more later. So that's the message that I would send to the services sector," she said.

"There's a lot of good stuff that I think that we can get, but the focus has to be on a deal that is good for the UK and India, not any specific, particular sector alone."

She also resisted calls for parliament to get more oversight of trade deals, saying that "the job of legislators is to look at legislation, not to negotiate trade deals".

(Reuters)

More For You

Sheikh Hasina

The party was led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Bangladesh Election Commission suspends Awami League’s registration

BANGLADESH’s Election Commission has suspended the registration of the Awami League, the party led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, effectively disqualifying it from contesting upcoming national elections.

The decision followed a government order banning all activities of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, issued the ban after days of protests.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK unemployment

Commuters cross London Bridge on October 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

UK unemployment rises to highest level since 2021

THE UK’s unemployment rate rose to 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, the highest level since August 2021, according to official figures released on Tuesday.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the figure was up from 4.4 per cent in the three months to the end of February.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer home

Police officers stand outside Starmer's private home, after it was damaged by fire in a suspected arson attack in north London, on May 13.

Reuters

Police arrest 21-year-old over fire at Starmer’s private residence

POLICE have arrested a 21-year-old man on suspicion of arson after fires were reported at three locations, including prime minister Keir Starmer’s private home in north London.

Officers were called in the early hours of Monday to a fire at a property in Kentish Town, which Starmer represents in parliament. No injuries were reported, but the entrance of the property was damaged.

Keep ReadingShow less
David-Lammy-Getty

Foreign secretary David Lammy said he hoped the ceasefire would be sustained and called for dialogue between the two sides. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

David Lammy urges India, Pakistan to sustain ceasefire

The UK on Saturday (10) welcomed the ceasefire agreedbetween India and Pakistan and urged both countries to continue steps towards de-escalation.

Foreign secretary David Lammy said he hoped the ceasefire would be sustained and called for dialogue between the two sides.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi  speech

'If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,' Modi said.

Reuters

Modi warns of strong response to any future terrorist attack

PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Monday said India would respond strongly to any future terrorist attack and would not tolerate "nuclear blackmail" in case of further conflict with Pakistan.

His remarks came after a weekend ceasefire appeared to be holding following four days of heavy fighting between the two sides. US president Donald Trump, who said he brokered the ceasefire, claimed on Monday that US intervention had prevented a "bad nuclear war".

Keep ReadingShow less