Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 9 met his UK counterpart Keir Starmer in Mumbai, during the latter’s first visit to India after being appointed the prime minister. The two leaders, during their talks, celebrating the deepening ties between India and the UK, and are expected to announce further investment plans.
PM Modi and Keir Starmer met for the first time after the trade agreement between India and UK was finalised. Defence and trade is expected to be the prime focus of their bilateral talks today.
Starmer landed in India on October 8 for a two-day trip, with the key objective of discussing the recently-sealed trade deal and technology security initiative announced earlier this year. The UK PM’s office had earlier said that 64 Indian companies would collectively invest 1.3 billion pounds ($1.75 billion) in Britain, announced during a visit of the UK’s largest ever trade mission to India, with more than 100 companies and organisations travelling with the prime minister.
In his remarks on October 8, Starmer said the trade deal is a “launchpad” for two-way growth, with India set to be the third biggest global economy by 2028. “We signed a major trade deal with India in July — the best secured by any country — but the story doesn’t stop there,” he said. “It’s not just a piece of paper, it’s a launchpad for growth. With India set to be the third biggest economy in the world by 2028, and trade with them about to become quicker and cheaper, the opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled,” he said.
