British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday landed in Mumbai with a 125-member delegation of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and university representatives. The visit comes two and a half months after India and the United Kingdom signed a landmark free trade pact expected to double bilateral trade by 2030.Hours before departing for Mumbai, Starmer was asked whether his visit would also lead to expanded access to UK visas for Indians. The British prime minister struck a measured tone, saying that the focus of his trip was trade, investment, and economic cooperation.”The visa situation hasn’t changed with the free trade agreement, and therefore we didn’t open up more visas,” Starmer said. Speaking to journalists on his flight, he said there were “massive opportunities” to improve trade and cultural ties with India, describing the partnership as central to the UK’s growth story.”The issue is not about visas,” he said. “It’s about business-to-business engagement and investment and jobs and prosperity coming into the UK.”Arriving in Mumbai on Wednesday with a 125-member delegation of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and university vice-chancellors, Starmer described the FTA as a “launchpad for growth,” calling the opportunities “unparalleled.” “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. “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.”The India-UK FTA, signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London in July, is the most comprehensive trade pact either nation has signed in years. It will lower tariffs, boost market access, and aims to double bilateral trade by 2030. India’s average tariff on British products will fall from 15% to 3%, while duties on whisky will drop from 150% to 75% immediately and then to 40% over the next decade. Starmer said the deal means “more choice, stability and jobs at home for the British people.”Starmer and Modi are expected to hold wide-ranging talks in Delhi on Thursday, including strengthening cooperation on defence technology, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications. The visit also carries a strong cultural and sporting focus — Starmer toured Yash Raj Films studios to encourage film collaborations and attended a Premier League football showcase aimed at deepening sports diplomacy.Welcoming Starmer, Modi wrote on X, “Welcome Prime Minister Keir Starmer on your historic first visit to India with the largest ever trade delegation from the UK. Looking forward to advancing our shared vision of a stronger, mutually prosperous future.”
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