UK-India trade deal could be signed this year, suggests official
The UK and India could sign a long-awaited trade deal before the end of the year, according to a senior Indian official.
The country’s commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters on Friday: “We want to finalise the deal at the earliest.”
He also said that it was possible that the deal could be agreed “much before” the end of the year.
Talks remain ongoing between the two governments, after the initial target of securing a deal by Diwali last October was missed.
Securing a post-Brexit trade agreement with India, a country with over 1.4 billion people, has been a key target for the UK Government.
The Department for Business and Trade insisted that the Government would “only sign when we have a deal that is fair, balanced, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy”.
A spokesperson said: “The UK and India are committed to working towards the best deal possible for both sides.
“While we’ve made good progress in closing chapters, we’re now focused on the high ambition areas including goods, services, and investment.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will attend the G20 summit in New Delhi in September.
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EDITED FOR CLARITY OF THE ISSUE: “Securing a post-Brexit trade agreement with India, a country with over 1.4 billion people,” that is rapidly degrading into a fascist hellscape “has been a key target for the UK Government” which is also becoming, rapidly, a fascist hellscape.
I can see how negotiations went. GB gov “what do you want” India, “everything”, GB “what can we have” India, “nothing”, GB , “ok, the same as our NZ and Aus deals then, we have the draft deal ready, when can you sign” India ” now”.
You stole my thunder. Lucky old India. The next beneficiary of the UK Governments’ frantic desperation to prove the non existent ‘success’ of Break-it. We’ll never see a penny of it just like the £350m A WEEK for the NHS.
The E U the Worlds biggest trading block and on our doorstep and Stupid foolish people people believed what was on the Bus Farage Boris the freak Mogg Rees and all the tory liars the right wing press Daily Mail daily Express Torygraph and it was old people my age wanted a bygone era back they say no fool like an old fool and no i voted to remain they told people the world will want to trade with the U K most of the countries of the world dislike the U K because what went on during the days… Read more »
Is that a unicorn I see grazing the sunlit uplands of Brexitannia?
I cannot see the UK getting muchout of this ‘deal’.
India are getting cosy with Russia these days.
Plus, India will want free movement of their people to the UK.
Yes free movement has long been on the Indian agenda. Would it be cynical of me to note that this would be so much simler for the Scammer Syndicates as they would not have to pay long distance phone charges?
If India is wanting to plunder the uk in retaliation for what the uk did to it in the age of the empire don’t they realise the tories past and present have made sure there is nothing left too plunder as they have already sold it all off.
The ones that benefited from the plunder of India are the ones that benefited from the sale of the uk