India and UK progress towards free trade agreement

The UK and India are close to finalizing a free trade agreement. This news came from Nidhi Tripathi, an Indian diplomat, during a trade conference in London. She mentioned that the deal could be very beneficial for both countries. Tripathi expressed optimism about the agreement, emphasizing it would provide certainty for service suppliers. However, the UK government did not comment on the progress. Negotiations resumed recently after being paused in 2024 due to elections in both countries. Business and trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds visited India last month to get talks back on track. According to a UK official, the discussions have been more positive this time. Since the talks began in January 2022, there have been over a dozen meetings. Past leaders missed several deadlines to complete the deal. Both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak aimed to finalize it before the last general election in the UK, but it remains unfinished.