His first visit to the country as prime minister is being described as an “historic moment” – but a post-Brexit trade deal with the country is still some way off.
Rishi Sunak will urge Narendra Modi to use his influence to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine, as he embarks on his first visit to India as the UK’s premier.
The British prime minister will be meeting his Indian counterpart for one-to-one talks at the G20 summit, which he hopes will also smooth the way for a post-Brexit trade deal in the coming months.
But Downing Street has made clear there will be no changes to UK immigration policy as part of the deal – although short-term business visas will be up for discussion.
The Russian invasion – which India has refused to condemn – threatens to overshadow the summit of the world’s wealthiest countries, which is being hosted in New Delhi for the first time.
As Mr Sunak set off for the trip, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “We will use every opportunity to show our support for Ukraine and further foster global support as well.
“India has a vital role to play as the world’s largest democracy in calling out Russia’s assault on human rights and indeed democracy itself.
“We will use meetings with Modi or elsewhere to encourage them to use that influence to bring an end to Putin’s brutal invasion.”
Trade deal
Hopes of securing a trade deal between the UK and India during this trip – which would be the biggest agreement post-Brexit – have faded, but there are hopes of a later breakthrough.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson had promised a deal would be done by Diwali of 2022, but the autumn festival came and went, and significant issues in the negotiations remained.
However, government insiders are cautiously optimistic that the talks, now in their 12th round, are nearing the end, and a deal could be done later this year, with political will on both sides.
Mr Sunak is understood to be planning a second trip to India towards the end of the year. His spokesman said they did not have a firm deadline but it was expected the free trade agreement will be discussed with Mr Modi at this summit.
“The prime minister is committed to concluding an FTA [Free Trade Agreement] with India, which delivers for the British people, and this focus on delivering will run through all his engagement at the G20,” the spokesman said.
Among those sticking points is understood to be the issue of visas, with India said to be seeking assurances on student and business visas.