The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Kemi Badenoch)
The eighth round UK-India free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations took place from 20-31 March. The ninth round took place shortly afterwards, from 24-28 April. As with previous rounds, these rounds were conducted in a hybrid fashion, a number of officials travelled to each other’s nations for negotiations and others attended virtually. Detailed talks took place across a range of policy areas.
The UK-India trade relationship was worth £36 billion in 2022. A deal which respects the domestic sensitives of both sides will strengthen the economic links between the UK and India, boosting the UK economy and bringing benefits to UK businesses, families and consumers.
In this negotiation, as with all our FTA negotiations, the NHS and the services it provides is not on the table. This Government will continue to work towards a high level of protection of the environment in new trade agreements.
We have provisionally closed 17 chapters across the FTA, and both sides continue to work towards a modern and comprehensive agreement. We will only sign a deal that is fair, balanced and ultimately in the best interests of the UK.
The 10th round of negotiations is due to take place in the coming months.
The Government will continue to keep Parliament updated as these negotiations progress.
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