British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is keen to visit India and a trip could take place soon, a top U.K. diplomat said on Thursday (October 29, 2026), highlighting the growing partnership between the two countries.
But actually it was signed just over a year ago. Burnham had conveyed his desire to visit India during a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after taking office. Mr. Mr. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) had further improved the environment for businesses seeking to invest, trade and work across the two countries.
Burnham was appointed as prime minister on July 20 this year. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into force 100 days ago. Since then we’ve already seen new deals worth 12 billion pounds, he said.
Speaking to PTI, Acting British High Commissioner to India Ben Mellor said Mr. “I know that Prime Minister Andy Burnham is very keen to come to India,” Mr. Mellor said. “When he and Prime Minister Modi spoke just after he took office as prime minister, he expressed that directly to the prime minister, and I’m sure we’ll be able to see that happen soon,” he added. Mellor also said the U.K. remained strongly welcoming to Indian businesses and investors, noting that Indian investors had been the second-largest source of new investment projects in the country over the past several years. He said the India-U.K. “Just two weeks ago, seven mayors from the UK and one local authority brought a large business delegation of over 200 businesses to India to come and look for partners that they could work with,” Mr.
Asked whether Britain had sufficient fiscal space to withstand another global economic shock, Mr Mellor said the government’s plans to reduce borrowing would help lower borrowing costs and increase the economy’s capacity to respond to future crises.
