Upon returning from his meeting with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle was warmly welcomed by the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC) on Wednesday. The council also urged for the expedited implementation of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The swift implementation of the FTA was the primary objective of the Kyle-Goyal meeting, according to a statement released by UKIBC. The trade group stated that the agreement’s heavy tariff liberalisation would facilitate faster, cheaper, and easier exports to both markets, pointing out that yearly bilateral trade between the UK and India is currently worth £48 billion.
The council claims that once the agreement is implemented, tariffs on 99 percent of UK goods and 90 percent of Indian goods will be liberalised. According to UKIBC, the India-UK FTA, which was inked in July 2025, is the most economically consequential bilateral trade deal that the UK has signed since it left the EU. To far, this is one of India’s most extensive trade agreements; its thirty chapters include topics such as commerce, innovation, labour, environment, and gender cooperation.
Dr. Kishore Jayaraman, Group CEO of UKIBC, has called for a speedy transition from conclusion to implementation, stating that the agreement, which has been negotiated over a period of several years, will open doors for consumers and businesses in both nations. The increasing volume of commerce and investment between the United Kingdom and India, according to the council, is evidence of both countries’ faith in the corridor and their desire to establish economic links with an eye toward the future.
This new meeting follows last month’s virtual meeting between Ministers Goyal and his UK colleague, during which they discussed ways to strengthen trade and investment connections between the two countries and make the most of opportunities presented by the planned free trade agreement (FTA).
In an effort to deepen its integration into global supply chains and forge stronger global relationships, India has increased the speed of free trade discussions. In comparison to India’s merchandise trade with the rest of the world, which increased by 41.5% between FY21 and FY25, commerce with strategic FTA partners increased by 92% during the same time, according to a recent research quoted by the industry association.
In addition to ongoing negotiations with other economies, India has recently inked agreements with partners like the UAE, Australia, and EFTA nations, bringing the total number of FTAs with 38 countries to nine, according to the statement.
On a separate note, Minister Goyal has stressed the importance of a World Trade Organization that is fair and accommodating to developing nations’ and Least Developed Countries’ needs and goals.
Businesses on both sides are keeping a close eye on the enabling notifications, tariff schedules, rules of origin, and customs facilitation measures that will turn the agreement’s provisions into real market access and cost savings as talks focus on the last stages to operationalise the India-UK FTA.
Image: Daily Pioneer
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