UK Foreign Minister David Lammy In India For FTA Talks, Meets Modi, Visits Noida HCLTech Campus

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Wednesday began a two-day visit to India to galvanise negotiations for an ambitious Free Trade Agreement and reset the overall bilateral partnership in crucial areas such as clean energy, new technologies and security.

Lammy held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and visited HCLTech’s campus in Noida.

PM Modi said it was a pleasure to meet the foreign secretary and appreciated his UK counterpart Keir Starmer for prioritising deepening of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership while saying that he remains committed to elevating India-UK ties.

“A pleasure to meet UK FS David Lammy. Appreciate the priority accorded by PM Keir Starmer to broaden and deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Remain committed to elevating the ties. Welcome the bilateral Technology Security Initiative and the desire to conclude a mutually beneficial FTA,” PM Modi said in an X post.

As he embarked on the high-profile trip, Lammy described the negotiations for the trade deal as the floor and not the ceiling of the ambitions to unlock shared potential and deliver growth.

The British foreign secretary’s visit to New Delhi is the first high-level engagement between India and the UK after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government came to power on July 5.

IT services company HCL Technologies (HCLTech) on Wednesday hosted a delegation led by Lammy at the Noida campus. He met with HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra and visited one of the innovation labs on the campus.

“HCLTech…today hosted a delegation led by The Rt. Hon David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the UK,” the company said.

During his visit to HCLTech’s global headquarters in Noida, Lammy was accompanied by Lindy Cameron, the British High Commissioner to India and Harjinder Kang, the British Trade Commissioner for South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India.

The delegation also included representatives from British companies.

Lammy noted that India is an emerging superpower of the 21st century, the largest country in the world with 1.4 billion people and one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

“Our Free Trade Agreement negotiations are the floor not the ceiling of our ambitions to unlock our shared potential and deliver growth, from Bengaluru to Birmingham,” Lammy said.

“We have shared interests on the green transition, new technologies, economic security and global security. I am travelling to India in my first month as Foreign Secretary because resetting our relationship with the Global South is a key part of how this government will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home.” HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra said the company takes immense pride in being a digital transformation enabler for UK businesses and the economy at large, and exuded confidence that the visit will further strengthen the economic collaboration between the two nations.

HCLTech began its business operations in the UK in 1998 and has strengthened its presence in the country with its innovation labs.

“India is the emerging superpower of the 21st century, the largest country in the world with 1.4 billion people and one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” Lammy said.

He will discuss partnering on Indian-led global initiatives to build clean power access, climate resilience in the global south and small island states, it said.

In a post on ‘X’, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Lammy’s visit will strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Lammy and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold wide-ranging talks this evening that is expected to focus on the FTA and New Delhi’s concerns over activities of pro-Khalistan elements in Britain, people familiar with the matter said.

The British foreign secretary is also scheduled to meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal during which both sides are likely to reaffirm their commitment to the proposed free trade pact, they said.

It is learnt both sides have already agreed on almost 90 per cent of the trade pact but the remaining 10 per cent comprised several sticky issues such as import duties on automobiles and scotch whisky and visas for business people.

The British readout said Lammy will highlight the importance of a new partnership with India that focuses on economic, domestic and global security.

Economic, domestic and global security will be at the heart of the foreign secretary’s first visit to India as he travels to New Delhi to unlock the full potential of the UK-India partnership.

The foreign secretary will also hold high-level talks with members from the Indian government, including Jaishankar, where he will underscore the importance of the “living bridge” between the UK and India.

It represents the 1.7 million people with Indian heritage that have made their home in the UK and make an exceptional contribution to British life, the readout released by the UK high commission in New Delhi said.

Lammy will reiterate the extraordinary contribution of British Indians, saying that they enrich the UK’s social and economic landscape and are the epitome of modern Britain, it added.

In their talks, Jaishankar and Lammy are also expected to review the implementation of the India-UK roadmap that seeks to broad-base the ties in a range of areas.

In 2021, India and the UK adopted the 10-year roadmap to expand ties in key areas of trade and economy, defence and security, climate change and people-to-people connections among others.

Jaishankar and Lammy are also likely to deliberate on pressing global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Middle-East.