Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will open negotiations with her Indian counterpart on a UK-India free trade agreement; and if she will make a statement.

We are not yet negotiating a free trade agreement with India, but we are in discussion about how to develop a deeper trade relationship. India is a key trading partner to the UK, with total bilateral trade rising by 6.4% to £22.5bn in the year to end of Q3 2019. We are committed to increasing trade and opening markets, including through the annual Secretary of State led Joint Economic and Trade Committee. The latest statement can be found here.