FTA alone won't build credibility: Geostrategist urges Starmer to face India's real concerns - visa, fugitives 

As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits India, geostrategist Brahma Chellenay on Wednesday said the UK's credibility as a partner could be undermined if Starmer avoids addressing key irritants in the relationship. 

"British Prime Minister Starmer is in India with the largest-ever trade delegation, eager to turn the new FTA with New Delhi into tangible economic gains for a struggling UK," Chellaney wrote on X. "Yet Britain's credibility as a partner will ring hollow if Starmer ducks the real irritants - London's refusal to ease visa restrictions even as it courts Indian talent, its sheltering of India's high-profile economic fugitives, and its tolerance of UK-based Sikh extremists who openly glorify violence against the Indian state."

Starmer's visit to India comes shortly after the UK and India signed a historic free trade agreement (FTA) in July. The British Prime Minister, accompanied by 125 prominent business leaders, entrepreneurs, and university vice-chancellors, arrived in Mumbai this morning to promote the trade pact, which he describes as a "launchpad for growth." 

Under the agreement, British businesses are expected to benefit from increased market access, reduced tariffs, and improved trade opportunities with India, which is expected to become the third-largest global economy by 2028.

However, as the UK looks to deepen its commercial ties with India, certain longstanding issues remain unresolved. Notably, the UK has been criticised for its stance on economic fugitives, such as Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, both of whom are wanted in India for major financial crimes. Despite their fugitive status in India, Mallya and Modi have been living in the UK for years, with little action taken against them by British authorities. 

Mallya, once a prominent businessman in India, fled the country in 2016, facing charges of financial fraud and money laundering. Similarly, Nirav Modi, an accused in a multi-billion-dollar bank fraud case, has been in the UK since 2018, evading extradition to India. 

The UK has also faced criticism for its visa policies. India, home to a large and growing pool of skilled talent, has long called for more flexible visa rules to facilitate the movement of its professionals to the UK. Despite this, the UK continues to impose restrictive visa regulations that hinder the free movement of talent between the two countries.

A British readout on Starmer's India trip said it seeks to build on the momentum from the UK-India trade deal as it will open access for British businesses to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

Following the signature of the landmark UK-India trade deal in July, which will lower tariffs on British goods being imported into India, the "door is now open" for British businesses to "turbocharge" their trade with one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, it said.