- Thursday, February 27, 2025
The Indian envoy spoke at the event about trade relations between India and the UK in light of the free trade agreement which is being negotiated, cultural links and the deepening of ties.
By: Shubham Ghosh
MEMBERS of the Labour Party in both the House of the British parliament on Tuesday (4) welcomed the Indian high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, at the Palace of Westminster to a reception to discuss the progress of the trade deal between the two countries.
The event was organised by Navendu Mishra, the MP from Stockport, and it was the first time that an Indian high commissioner exclusively addressed members of the Labour Party and businesses with mutual interests in Britain and India.
The Indian envoy spoke at the event about trade relations between India and the UK in light of the free trade agreement which is being negotiated, cultural links and the deepening of the ties between the two democracies.
The development comes following a remark from Labour leader Keir Starmer last year to the House of Commons that a trade agreement “can bring new opportunities to promote and create new jobs here in Britain”.
The meeting , which was sponsored by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and Diageo, saw addresses from Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow secretary of state for international trade.
Currently, there are over 900 Indian companies in the UK, with a combined turnover of £54 billion, demonstrating the strong existing links, with India now the second-largest investor in the country.
Speaking after the event, Thomas-Symonds said, “At the Labour Convention of Indian Organisations Reception I set out that the UK-India relationship will be a central pillar of the next Labour government’s foreign
policy. Labour is committed to a free trade deal with India and working closely on a range of issues from the world economy to tackling climate change and global security.”
Mishra said, “It was a pleasure to host His Excellency Vikram Doraiswami in the House of Commons for the first briefing of exclusively Labour parliamentarians.
“As the prospect of a Labour government gets ever-closer, it is vital that, as Labour politicians, we reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a positive relationship with India. There are many similarities between our nations and these should be celebrated.”
UKIBC managing director Kevin McColespoke said, “With the deep-rooted foundations of our people to people connect and strong trade and investment ties already, there is so much that our countries can achieve together. We look forward to working with both Governments and businesses to unlock the huge potential that exists in the UK-India corridor.”
