India – UK Relation

Recent News

Rishi Sunak took charge as the 57^th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

• He is the country’s third PM in 50 days after first Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss was forced from office by a rebellion within the ruling Conservative Party.

India- UK Relation PDF

Indo-UK Partnership

• For UK: India is a key strategic partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific both in terms of market share and defence, as was underscored by the signing of the Defence and International Security Partnership between India and the UK in 2015.
  • For Britain, a successful conclusion of an FTA with India would provide a boost to its ‘Global Britain’ ambitions as the UK has sought to expand its markets beyond Europe since Brexit.
  • Britain has been trying to seize opportunities in the growing economies of the Indo-Pacific to cement its place on the global stage as a serious global actor.
    • The British would be better able to achieve this goal with good bilateral relations with India.
• For India: The UK is a regional power in the Indo-Pacific as it possesses naval facilities in Oman, Singapore, Bahrain, Kenya, and British Indian Ocean Territory.
  • The UK has also confirmed USD 70 million of British International Investment funding to support the usage of renewable energy in India, which will help in building renewable energy infrastructure and developing solar power in the region.
  • India has sought easy market access for Indian fisheries, pharma, and agricultural products besides duty concession for labour-intensive exports.

Indo-UK Trade Relations

• The UK is among India’s major trading partners and during the year 2016-17, the UK ranked 15th in the list of India’s top 25 trading partners
• As per trade statistics of MoC&I, India’s trade with the UK in 2017-2018 was US $14.497 billion
• The main products of export from India to the UK include

• The main products of import from the UK to India include

Current Major Bilateral Issues between the Both Countries

• Extradition of Indian Economic Offenders:
  • The issue is the extradition of Indian economic offenders who are presently seeking shelter in Britain and using the legal system to their advantage.
  • Offenders like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and others have long taken shelter under the British system despite clear-cut Indian cases against them which warrant extradition.
• The umbilical link between the British and Pakistani Deep State:
  • This legacy of the long-gone British Raj in the sub-continent allows Britain to box in a higher weight category with the help of Pakistan on imperial follies of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The presence of a large Muslim community from the sub-continent in the UK, particularly from areas like Mirpur of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir adds to dissonance apart from the trap of vote bank politics.
• Non-Acceptance of White Britain:
  • The unacceptance of white Britain particularly its media of the rise of India as a global power is another issue.
    • India under the current Prime Minister has left behind Britain as the fifth-largest economy in GDP terms and is on the way up.
    • There is no difference between a modern and confident Indian and a British colonial Indian in terms of skin colour or the imperial legacy of the British Empire.

India-UK Relations – Defense

Cooperation in the defence sector is another important pillar of bilateral cooperation. During Prime Minister’s visit to the UK in November 2015, the two countries agreed to elevate their Defence relationship by establishing capability partnerships in strategic areas. 

At all three services levels, joint exercises and wide-ranging exchanges between the three services are conducted regularly. 

Educational Relations between India and UK

• The UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) was launched in 2005 with a focus on higher education and research, schools and professional and technical skills
• 2016 was announced as the UK-India year of Education, Research and Innovation
• Virtual partnerships would be initiated at the school level to enable young
• People of one country to experience the school system of the other
• Country and develop an understanding of the culture, traditions and social and family systems
• UK’s plans for 25,000 UK students to go to India through the Generation UK- India programme by 2020, including 1000 UK interns with Tata Consultancy Services in India by 2020
• Launch of the 3rd phase of the UK India Education and Research Initiative

Opportunities for India-UK ties under PM Rishi Sunak

• It is an opportunity for India and the U.K to work closely together on global issues and implement the roadmap 2030 for bilateral relations with the elevation of a person of Indian origin as prime minister of the U.K.
• His vision for India-U.K. bilateral ties has gone beyond the opportunity for the U.K. to sell things in India, wanting Britain to also “learn from India”.
• A Free Trade Agreement between India and the UK is expected to enhance economic growth and prosperity by: increasing import and export flows; increasing investment flows (both outward and inward); enhancing productivity through a more efficient allocation of resources; and greater openness to international competition.