UK negotiators fly to India in last-ditch effort to seal free-trade deal
Source: The Guardian
UK negotiators fly to India in last-ditch effort to seal free-trade deal
Exclusive: Team will try to resolve goods and services issues amid fears Delhi is holding out for a Labour government
Eleni Courea Political correspondent
Tue 5 Mar 2024 05.01 GMT
Last modified on Tue 5 Mar 2024 08.55 GMT
British negotiators have flown to India in a last-ditch attempt to clinch a trade deal amid concerns that Narendra Modi’s administration intends to hold out for a Labour government.
A team of negotiators led by a senior civil servant flew out on Monday with a mandate to resolve the goods and services chapters, which are among the thorniest outstanding issues in the talks.
Boris Johnson and Liz Truss also sought to secure a multibillion pound free-trade agreement (FTA) with India, a booming economy of 1.4 billion people. It is seen as one of the biggest Brexit prizes.
A UK government official said the British delegation was making a “last-gasp attempt to clinch an FTA before the Indian election campaign pauses talks”.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/05/uk-negotiators-fly-to-india-in-last-ditch-effort-to-seal-free-trade-deal