UK keen on FTA, says spat won't affect deal

New Delhi, October 12

Britain still wants a free trade deal with India by Diwali later this month, said spokesman for UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on Wednesday, refuting reports that the spat last week between her Home Secretary Suella Braverman and the Ministry of External Affairs had derailed the timeline.

“Yes, we are working on this high ambition free trade deal that would put the UK at the front of the queue to supply India’s growing middle class,” said her spokesman when asked if the government still wanted a trade deal by Diwali as mentioned by then UK PM Boris Johnson after he met PM Narendra Modi in April and set a target to sign the FTA by Diwali, which falls on October 24.

Braverman’s statement seemed to have thrown a spanner in the plans after she linked the FTA with migration issues and the UK Government said “quality” not “speed” would determine its launch. The goal appeared remote after Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Diwali was only “a goal”, though he added “there is interest on both sides to conclude the FTA at the earliest”.

The likely outcome would be that the FTA may not be signed by Diwali but both sides will announce that most of the talks have been concluded.