British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will arrive in India for a two-day visit on Wednesday and is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Fintech, trade and defence are expected to dominate the agenda between the two leaders. This will be Starmer’s first visit to India as PM. Calling it a “trade mission”, sources say Starmer will lead a delegation of about 100 British business leaders to India in a bid to strengthen economic, tech and defence ties. Starmer and Modi are expected to address the Global Fintech Summit in Mumbai. Sources say after the signing of the long-awaited Free-Trade Agreement, the two sides are also looking at enhancing cooperation on connectivity and transport, critical and emerging technologies and pharmaceuticals. Following three years of intense negotiations, Starmer finalised the trade deal with Modi in July 2025, saying it would bring “huge benefits to both of our countries” by boosting wages, raising living standards and bringing down prices for consumers. It’s also the first such trip by a British PM since Theresa May visited in the immediate aftermath of her country’s vote to leave the European Union nine years ago. India and the UK are the world’s fourth and sixth largest economies and they signed the FTA on July 24, 2025 during Modi’s UK visit. The pact has some important benefits for India, which includes unprecedented market access as it ensures duty-free access to the UK market for approximately 99% of Indian exports by value. It is also expected to give a thrust to labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, marine products, leather, footwear, sports goods, toys, gems and jewellery, which are crucial for employment generation and may attain enhanced competitiveness in the UK market. The agreement paves the way for enhanced trade in the services sector, – including IT/ITeS, financial services, professional services, education and other business services – creating new opportunities for Indian professionals and businesses. Also, it serves as a fillip to mobility for skilled Indian professionals, including contractual service suppliers, business visitors, investors, intra-corporate transferees and independent professionals like yoga instructors, musicians and chefs. The agreement establishes mechanisms to address non-tariff barriers, ensuring smoother flow of goods and services and preventing unwarranted restrictions on Indian exports. New Delhi expects that riding on the success of the FTA, the two leaders are expected to exchange notes on how they can expand the areas of cooperation. While financial technologies will be a major part of discussions, sources said that defence technologies, especially cooperation on jet engines, is an important element in the agenda. Sources said the India-UK ties have transformed into a robust, multi-faceted, mutually beneficial relationship and during India-UK Summit on May 4, 2021, the relationship was elevated to a new and transformational 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership', with an ambitious India-UK Roadmap 2030 unveiled to steer cooperation for the next ten years.
