Chatham House
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India–UK free trade agreement signals deepening bilateral relations
EXPERT COMMENT
But New Delhi’s policy of strategic autonomy – and its brewing conflict with Pakistan – may hamper cooperation in some areas.
India and the UK announced the conclusion of their bilateral trade agreement on 6 May. The in-principle free trade agreement (FTA) was reached after 14 rounds of negotiations, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer due to visit India this year to sign the deal.
While consensus was reportedly reached on most of the FTA’s 26 chapters, the process was stalled by last year’s elections in both countries and political instability in the UK beforehand (there have been four UK prime ministers since FTA negotiations began in 2022).
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Original article link: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/05/india-uk-free-trade-agreement-signals-deepening-bilateral-relations
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