As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on his fourth visit to the UK later this week, India-UK ties have seen new energy, with the finalisation of the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement.
According to the MEA, PM Modi will hold wide-ranging discussions with his UK counterpart on the entire gamut of India-UK bilateral relations. They will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance.
Over the years, the India-UK historical ties have transformed into a robust, multi-faceted, mutually beneficial relationship. The relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.
New Delhi and London have seen sustained and frequent high-level political engagements. Prime Minister Modi has met UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer twice over the past year. They met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil in November 2024 and again during the G7 Summit in June 2025. Both also had multiple telephonic conversations over the period.
A significant marker of the strength of ties is the five ministerial-level Institutional Mechanisms in strategic, economy & finance, trade, energy, science and technology, between the two countries.
Other recently held dialogues include the Foreign Office Consultation, Defence Consultation Group and 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue.
On the economic front, bilateral trade has crossed record USD 55 billion in 2024, registering an increase of about 10 per cent over that of 2023. The conclusion of the India-UK FTA announced on May 6, 2025, by both Prime Ministers, has been a major milestone in bilateral ties.
The two countries have seen sustained and high-level cooperation across several fronts.
Earlier in June, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and UK Permanent Under-Secretary Oliver Robbins co-chaired the 17th UK-India Foreign Office Consultations and the inaugural Strategic Exports and Technology Cooperation Dialogue, focusing on deepening the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across trade, technology, defence, and people-to-people exchanges.
Earlier in May, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy had said that the landmark trade agreement between the United Kingdom and India marks a new era of bilateral cooperation, highlighting the economic and strategic importance of the deal.
“This is just the start of supercharging our GBP 43 billion trading relationship”, he said.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the finalisation of the trade deal as a major achievement and had called it the UK`s biggest post-Brexit deal and India`s most ambitious to date.
PM Modi while speaking at the ABP Network India 2047 Summit, had remarked that the landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the United Kingdom, centered on mutual trade and economic cooperation between two of the world`s largest powers and open market economies, marks the beginning of a new chapter in the growth and development of both countries.
“The two world`s biggest open markets have come together, which will add to their histories…This will also open new opportunities for the MSMEs sector,” PM Modi said.
Notable sectors which have emerged as key pillars of our bilateral ties are Business, Technology, Research, Education and Innovation.
With an Indian diaspora that forms about 2.7 per cent of the total population of UK, it acts as the living bridge which forms a key pillar of growth and development of India -UK relations through their valuable contribution to the British society and economy as well as promoting bilateral cultural and economic cooperation and bonds of friendship between peoples of our two countries.
PM Modi, during this important visit, would see that the two sides will also review the progress of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with a specific focus on trade and economy, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate, health, education and people-to-people ties.
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