- Monday, February 24, 2025
They met political and business leaders besides engaging with members of faiths and communities and undertaking cultural trips in various parts of the country.
By: Shubham Ghosh
SHADOW deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Navendu Mishra MP were among Labour leaders who visited India in February to fortify ties between Britain’s main opposition party and India’s business, faith, community, and political leadership.
Throughout their visit, the Labour delegation, which also featured Vimal Choksi, a member of Tameside Council, traversed through India’s capital city New Delhi; Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat; and Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The visit was orchestrated by the Labour Convention of Indian Organisations, which plays a pivotal role in bolstering the Labour Party’s bond with the British Indian diaspora.
During their visit, the Labour leaders engaged with political leaders at both national and provincial levels. Rayner and Mishra went to the Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas, the official residence of Indian vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar, where they met him.
The British political leaders also took part in the Raisina Dialogue, India’s annual conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics which was held in New Delhi between February 21 and 23, where they engaged with Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. During the talks, both sides emphasised on the importance of meaningful engagement with India and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
They were also joined by Matt Keogh, Australia’s minister for veterans affairs and an MP of the ruling Australian Labor Party, and other regional partners.
In New Delhi, Rayner and Mishra and the other delegates met leaders of the Indian National Congress, the country’s main opposition party.
The Labour leaders also went to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, one of the residences of India’s iconic freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi.
Rayner and Mishra also had a roundtable discussion with leaders from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The Labour delegates engaged with business leaders from various sectors in India, fostering economic connections crucial for creating secure, well-paying jobs in both nations.
They were also hosted by the UK India Business Council, where they delved deeper into the UK-India economic partnership, exploring the vast opportunities India offers for British companies.
In Ahmedabad, they met representatives of Indian multinational pharmaceutical company Zydus Life Sciences to gain insights into pharmaceutical production in India and recent Indian pharmaceutical investments in Britain.
Through these interactions, the Labour delegation advanced their leader Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to prioritise trade relations with India as a cornerstone of future economic growth.
The trip also prioritized women’s empowerment. At the Raisina Dialogue, Rayner advocated economic collaboration between Britain and India to focus on recent Indian policies and putting an emphasis on women’s economic empowerment. The delegation met Smriti Irani, India’ women and child development minister.
The guests also visited the Dholera Solar Park, five-gigawatt solar power project initiative in Gujarat, aligning with the Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan for Britain. They also made cultural visits to the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi, Taj Mahal in Agra and the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi. They also met people from the Bohra community in Ahmedabad as part of engagement with faith communities.
These delegations are expected to help the Labour leadership with insights into global ties and faith affiliations of nearly 1.8 million Britons of Indian heritage, crucial for better representation of the UK’s diverse communities. The visits are in sync with the Labour leadership’s renewed approach towards India, given the deepening ties between the two nations ahead of the general elections in both.
