Why is India-UK FTA agreement not happening, former British minister exposed himself

India-UK FTA News / Why is India-UK FTA agreement not happening, former British minister exposed himself

India-UK FTA News - Why is India-UK FTA agreement not happening, former British minister exposed himself

India-UK FTA News: Former British minister Kemi Badenoch has recently shared her views on why the much-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Britain has not been reached till now. She accused the Indian side of deliberately blocking the agreement on the demand for more visas. Badenoch says that when she was the Minister of Trade and Commerce, the Indian side was seeking more concessions on the issue of migration, which she refused.

Badenoch's claims

Badenoch said, "When I was trying to do something to limit migration, we had the issue of FTA with India. The Indian side was seeking more concessions in terms of migration, but I refused. This is one of the reasons why we did not sign it." However, some of her former colleagues have refuted her claim, saying that Badenoch was pushing for the agreement at any cost, so that bilateral trade could increase by 38 billion GBP.

Hurdles in the deal

A former cabinet minister said Badenoch was keen on the deal and wanted an achievement to show the benefits of Brexit. "The reality is that all the bargaining power was with the Indians. There was a lot of pressure on us and the Indian side was negotiating more concessional terms in the deal," he said. This situation made it clear that the British side worked harder during the negotiations, while the Indian side was relatively careless.

Badenoch's preparation

However, a close source said Badenoch was not ready to sign the deal at any cost. The Indian government also decided not to sign the deal, thinking that under the rule of the Labour Party, they would get a chance to negotiate better terms. According to the source, "Kemi was not ready to sign any deal that brought changes to Britain's immigration rules."

Stand of the new Prime Minister

The FTA talks are expected to begin next month under the government of Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "We remain committed to reaching a trade deal with India and intend to resume negotiations as soon as possible," his foreign affairs spokesman said this week. After the Rishi Sunak-led Tory party suffered a crushing defeat, a new leader will be appointed to replace him on November 2.

Conclusion

Political complexities and migration issues are major hurdles in the India-UK FTA negotiations. Former minister Badenoch's claims and reactions from former colleagues reflect the differences in approach to the deal. It will now be interesting to see how the talks progress under the new leadership and whether the much-awaited India-UK deal will be signed soon.