TL;DR: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, on his first official visit to India (Oct 8–9, 2025), confirmed that the UK will not ease visa rules for Indian workers or students, despite the UK–India Free Trade Agreement (CETA) signed in July. While emphasizing "massive opportunities" for trade and investment, he made it clear that migration was not part of the deal. Starmer led the largest-ever UK trade mission to India, aiming to strengthen economic, cultural, and tech ties under the Vision 2035 roadmap.
🇬🇧🇮🇳 Keir Starmer in India (October 8-9, 2025): Summary
🔑 Main Takeaways
- Visa Rules:
- Purpose of Visit:
- Trade Agreement (CETA):
- Signed in July 2025
- Expected to boost bilateral trade by £25.5 billion annually by 2040
- UK GDP gain projected at £4.8 billion/year
- Tariff cuts on: UK cars, Scotch whisky, electronics; Indian textiles and jewelry
- Includes 3-year social security exemption for Indian short-term workers in the UK (but no immigration changes)
PM Keir Starmer stated clearly that the UK will not ease visa rules for Indian workers or students, despite the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (CETA) signed in July 2025.
“Visas played no part in the deal.” - Starmer
First official visit to India as PM.
Aimed at strengthening the UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership under the Vision 2035 roadmap.
Focus areas: trade, defense, technology, education, climate, and cultural ties.
🏛️ Major Events & Meetings
- October 8 (Mumbai):
- Arrived in Mumbai; greeted by top Indian officials
- Visited Yash Raj Studios to promote film collaboration
- Held informal talks with EAM S. Jaishankar
- Attended fintech reception and community football match
- October 9 (Mumbai):
- Bilateral talks with PM Narendra Modi
- Keynote at Global Fintech Fest
- Met with top CEOs at the UK-India CEO Forum
- Focused on areas like AI, clean energy, defense, and quantum computing
🛫 Business Delegation
- Largest-ever UK trade mission to India: 125+ leaders from:
- Business (Barclays, Rolls-Royce, AstraZeneca)
- Culture (British Council, Bollywood studios)
- Academia (university vice-chancellors)
- British Airways to launch 3rd daily Delhi-Heathrow flight
- Manchester Airport to launch new Delhi route
⚖️ Geopolitical Context
- No visa relief despite Indian hopes
- Starmer avoided praising Modi’s outreach to Putin
- Reiterated UK’s focus on Russia’s shadow oil fleet
- Addressed concerns around Khalistani activity in the UK and India’s extradition requests
🎯 Key Quotes
“The issue is not about visas. It's about investment, jobs, and prosperity.”- Keir Starmer, October 7, en route to India
“If you want to grow the economy, you go where the growth is, and India is growing.”- Keir Starmer, CEO Forum in Mumbai
📊 Impact & Reactions
- UK Business Community: Welcomed the focus on trade and innovation
- India: Positive on trade but critical on visas, seeing the deal as somewhat one-sided
- Social Media: Mixed response; #IndiaUKTrade trended, but visa comments drew criticism
🧠 Expert View
Analysts see the visit as:
- A post-Brexit reset to deepen ties with a rising India
- A pragmatic approach, prioritizing business, defense, and tech over migration
- An effort to position the UK as a trusted Indo-Pacific partner amid U.S.-China flux