Sir Keir Starmer launched the first full-fledged trade mission to India since Theresa May was Prime Minister, bringing 125 British CEOs, entrepreneurs and academic leaders to Mumbai.
The Prime Minister flew with dozens of Britain’s most prominent businessmen, including bosses from BA, Barclays, Standard Chartered, BT and Rolls-Royce, for a two-day trip aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries.
Starmer will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, five months after the UK signed the treaty. the first trade agreement with India since Brexit.
The deal has yet to be implemented, and controversial plans to scrap national insurance for workers employed by large Indian companies sent to the UK are still subject to an upcoming consultation.
Speaking to journalists aboard the return plane, the Prime Minister said he was determined to strengthen ties between the two countries.
The trip was organized to coincide with the Conservative Party conference, with the first day of meetings coinciding with Kemi Badenoch’s speech to activists in Manchester.
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However, the business delegation will likely use the trip to pressure the Prime Minister not to impose more taxes on them in the November budget.
Sir Keir has already rejected the wish of some CEOs on the trip to increase visa numbers.
“The visa situation has not changed with the free trade agreement, and that is why we have not opened up more visas,” he said.
He told businesses it was not right to focus on visas, telling them: “The problem is not about visas. It is about business-to-business engagement and investment, and jobs and prosperity in the UK.”
Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer at a press conference in July. Photo: PA
The prime minister evaded questions about Mr Modi’s support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, to whom he wished a happy birthday on social media. US President Donald Trump has increased tariffs against India, saying Indian purchases of Russian oil support the war in Ukraine.
Asked whether Mr Modi wished Mr Putin a happy birthday and whether he had a chance to speak to Mr Modi about his relations with Russia, Sir Keir evaded the question.
“Just for the record, I didn’t… send congratulations on Putin’s birthday, and I’m not going to,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a surprise. When it comes to energy and cracking down on Russian energy, our focus as the UK, and we’ve been at the forefront of this, is on the shadow fleetbecause we believe it is the most effective way. We have been one of the leading countries in terms of the shadow fleet, in collaboration with other countries.
Sir Keir refused to reassure business leaders about the Budget and tax rises, although he said in his speech to the conference that he recognized the latest Budget had had an impact.
“What I acknowledged in my conference and I’ve acknowledged it several times now is that we asked for a lot of work in the last budget. It’s important that I recognize that, and I also said that it helped us deliver growth and stabilize the economy,” he added. “I will not comment on the next budget, as you would expect; no prime minister or chancellor ever will.”
Asked if too many rich people were leaving London, he said: “No. We are monitoring the figures carefully, as you would expect.
“The measures we took in the last budget bring a considerable amount of revenue to the government which is used to fix things like the NHS. We are monitoring the figures carefully.”