Modi welcomes UK counterpart Keir Starmer ahead of bilateral talks in Mumbai

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi welcomed his British counterpart Keir Starmer in Mumbai ahead of bilateral talks on Thursday, 9 October.

Modi and Starmer met at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. The two leaders held talks to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as outlined in the ‘Vision 2035’ roadmap.

This is the third meeting between the two leaders since Starmer became British PM in July 2024. The first two meetings were held at Chequers in Buckinghamshire in July this year and on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro last November.

This is also Starmer's first visit to India as the UK prime minister.

Starmer arrived in Mumbai for his first two-day trip to India on Wednesday, 8 October.

PM Modi was joined by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

On the UK side, Starmer was accompanied by Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, and Jason Stockwood, Minister of State for Investment, during the bilateral talks.

Global Fintech Fest

PM Modi and PM Starmer will also attend the sixth edition of theGlobal Fintech Fest(GFF) in Mumbai today. The event will bring together innovators, policymakers, regulators, investors, and industry experts from across the world.

This year’s theme, “Empowering Finance for a Better World– Powered by AI, Augmented Intelligence, Innovation, and Inclusion,” focuses on how technology and human insight can together build a more ethical and sustainable financial future.

On Wednesday, the first day of the Starmer-led UK team's two-day trip, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and the UK’s Trade Minister Peter Kyle held bilateral meetings to oversee the implementation of the trade deal, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

BBC adds

Modi has called the visit "historic", with the two sides meeting to discuss ways to expand business and trade ties after India and the UK signed a landmark trade deal in July.

On Thursday, Sir Keir announced more UK universities would be opening campuses in India, which the government said would bring a £50m boost to the economy.

Confirming that the University of Lancaster and the University of Surrey had been given approval for new campuses, he said: "I'm delighted that more Indian students will be able to benefit from a world-class British education in the near future – strengthening the ties between our two countries while pumping millions back into our economy and supporting jobs at home."

The UK has a growing network of international campuses in India, with the University of York, University of Aberdeen and Queen's University Belfast among those expected to open campuses from as early as next year.

The prime minister has been given a rousing welcome in India, with thousands of photos of him and Modi lining parts of Mumbai that the two leaders will travel through on Thursday.

On his first day, Sir Keir met the founder of India's digital ID system - Nandan Nilekani - in the wake of plans to introduce a digital ID for people working in the UK.

The government's plan to introduce compulsory digital ID for people to prove their right to work in the UK has seen more than 2.8 million people signing a petition against the idea. But Downing Street is determined to press on, claiming it will curb the ability of migrants to work illegally.

Sir Keir also announced that three Bollywood films will be made in the UK by Yash Raj Films from 2026, ending an eight-year hiatus.

The government says the yet-to-be-implemented UK-India trade deal has already led to £1bn of investment and almost 7,000 jobs being created in the UK.

Under the trade deal, India's average tariff on UK products will drop from 15% to 3%.

The UK will cut taxes on Indian clothing, footwear, jewellery and frozen seafood, among other goods, while India will reduce duties on the import of Scotch whisky, cosmetics, medical devices and luxury cars.

The deal is touted to increase the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) by £4.8bn each year and boost trade between the two countries by an additional £25.5bn a year by 2040.

Last year, trade between the UK and India totalled £42.6bn, and was already scheduled to grow.

Before arriving in India, Sir Keir told reporters that the UK would not relax visa rules for India but added that there were "massive opportunities" to improve trade and cultural ties with India.