The U.K. has strengthened its resolve to establish a free trade agreement (FTA) with India as Jonathan Reynolds the business and trade secretary will travel to India in later this month to restart negotiations. The discussions initiated in January 2022 finished fourteen rounds before March 2024 when both nations entered election periods. Prime Minister Keir Starmer reports negotiations for the Free Trade Agreement will restart in full scale by the beginning of 2025.
Indian authorities aim to expand their market opportunities for exports as well as simplify border permissions for students and health professionals and IT specialists. The U.K. has established its objectives including lower export tariffs for whiskey along with chocolates and confectionery and electric vehicles and greater market entry for legal sector and telecommunications and finance sectors services.
British officials stressed to the public that trading rules for temporary business personnel must not be mistaken for permanent immigration programs. The representative from Starmer stated that “trade and immigration exist as distinct subjects” because the government has chosen to concentrate on short-term movement for trade needs. 
The movement of people between nations remains a non-essential matter during their Free Trade Agreement negotiations based on statements from India’s UK High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami. India aims to establish proper service sector movement through the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) structures for service delivery.
Both nations keep optimistic expectations about reaching beneficial economic terms through upcoming engagement discussions to enhance their bilateral economic relations.
