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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know UK-India Special Report News India Times (October 11, 2025 - October 17, 2025) October 17, 2025 7 India’s Modi, Britain’s Starmer Push For Benefits From Trade Deal To Add Jobs T ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British counterpart Keir Starmer hailed the potential on Thursday, October 9, of their months-old trade deal to transform commer- cial links, as London unveiled further Indian investment in Britain. Starmer is in the financial capital of Mumbai on a two-day visit to India, joined by more than 100 lead- ers from Britain’s business, culture and university sectors, as he rushes to harvest the trade deal signed in July. The deal agreed to cut tariffs on goods from textiles to whisky and cars, and allow more market access for businesses in the world’s fifth- and sixth- largest economies, aiming to boost two-way trade by a further 25.5 billion pounds ($34 billion) by 2040. MODI HAILS INDIAN DYNAMISM, UK EXPERTISE Starmer’s visit, accompanied by the largest-ever business delegation, “reflects the new energy and broad vision” in the partnership, Modi said after talks with the British prime minister. “India’s dynamism and the UK’s expertise to- gether create a unique synergy,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi. “Our partnership is built on trust … it is a clear reaffirmation of our shared commitment to … build a brighter future for the people of both our nations.” Starmer said the focus of his visit was about doubling down on the potential of the trade deal, expected to take effect within a year. “When we leave India tonight, I expect that we will have secured major new investments creating thousands of high-skilled jobs in the sectors of the future.” An Indian foreign ministry statement said the two sides agreed to set up an India-UK connectivity and innovation centre and a joint centre for AI, and unveiled a critical minerals industry guild to bolster supply chains and promote green technologies. They also announced joint investment in a climate technology startup fund and set up new collaborations on health and renewable energy, an offshore wind task force, and a health research part- nership, among other things, it said. -Reuters By Alistair Smout and Ira Dugal PHOTO:LEON NEAL/POOLVIA REUTERS British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walk through the gardens at Raj Bhavan on October 9, 2025 in Mumbai, India. UK Signs $468 Million Deal To Supply India With Missiles UK PM Pushes For Quick Implementation Of India Trade Pact B ritain said on Thursday, October 9, it had signed a 350 million pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian army with UK-manu- factured lightweight missiles, as part of a deepening weapons and defence partner- ship between the two countries. The announcement came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was visiting Indian Prime counterpart Narendra Modi in Mumbai, where the pair hailed the po- tential of the commercial links from their months-old trade deal. In its statement on the defence deal, the British government said the new contract for Lightweight Multirole Missiles made by Thales in Northern Ireland would secure 700 jobs at a factory which current- ly makes the same weapons for Ukraine. “The deal paves the way for a broader complex weapons partnership between the UK and India, currently under nego- tiation between the two governments,” it said. Starmer has over the last 12 months thrown his weight behind Britain’s de- fence sector to try to drive higher eco- nomic growth, pledging to up spending in line with NATO targets, as well as focusing on winning exports, such as a recent $13.5 billion frigate contract with Norway. Britain also said on Thursday it reached a new milestone with India on a tie-up for electric-powered engines for naval ships as both countries signed the next phase of a deal, worth an initial 250 million pounds. -Reuters K eir Starmer said he wants the UK’s free trade agreement with India implemented “as soon as humanly possible,” as the British prime minister received a warm welcome on his first visit to the South Asian nation since taking office. Speaking to business delegates from the grand staircase of Taj Mahal Palace hotel onWednesday in Mumbai, Starmer said he has instructed his team to move quickly on the deal signed earlier this year. Starmer and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi had finalized a free-trade agreement in July after three years of intense negotiations. The UK premier is in India this week, leading a delegation of more than 100 British business, academic, and cultural leaders to deepen commercial ties between the two countries. “Our job is to make it easier for you to seize the op- portunities,” Starmer told the business delegates. “On the plane home, I want each of you to tell me what you got out of this trip – a deal, a contact.” The British leader’s arrival was met with welcome messages across Mumbai, the seaside megacity that is India’s business and financial capital. Hundreds of billboards and posters with Starmer’s face dotted the city, including some showing the British leader standing alongside Modi and praising the close ties between the two nations. Starmer said the signing of the FTA is already boosting trade between the two nations. He closed his address at the hotel by taking a selfie with the gathered delegates with a disposable camera. The visit also comes a day after British Airways Plc an- nounced plans to start a third daily flight between Heathrow Airport and New Delhi. Later in the day, Starmer visited Yash Raj Films, one of India’s leading production and distribution houses, and announced that the studio would shoot in the UK from next year. “Bollywood is back in Britain, and it’s bringing jobs, investment and opportunity,” he said in statement. “This is exactly the kind of partnership our trade deal with India is destined to unlock.” -Bloomberg By LucyWhite and Diksha Madhok PHOTO:Stefan Rousseau/Poolvia REUTERS British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi hold a bilateral meeting at Raj Bhavan, in Mumbai, India October 9, 2025.