UK PM Leads Major Trade Mission to India for Growth

Keir Starmer leads UK’s largest-ever trade delegation to India, strengthening business, education, and cultural ties for mutual growth

On 09th October 2025, the Prime Minister embarked on his first major trade mission to India, accompanied by 125 of the UK’s most prominent CEOs, leading entrepreneurs, university Vice Chancellors and representatives from major cultural institutions. The mission aims to strengthen trade ties, boost growth, and create jobs across the UK by deepening economic cooperation with one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.

The visit follows the landmark UK-India trade deal signed in July, which reduced tariffs on British goods exported to India and opened new opportunities for businesses to expand into the Indian market. Among the major companies joining the delegation are Rolls-Royce, British Telecom, Diageo, London Stock Exchange Group and British Airways. The Prime Minister is focused on securing further investments and trade opportunities that will drive economic growth and job creation at home.

Small and medium-sized enterprises from all regions of the UK are also part of the mission, reflecting the government’s commitment to ensuring that the trade deal benefits businesses of every size. The 125-member delegation marks the largest trade mission ever organised by the UK government to India.

The trade deal—hailed as the strongest agreement any country has secured with India—is projected to increase UK GDP by £4.8 billion a year, add £2.2 billion to wages, and boost bilateral trade by £25.5 billion annually. UK exports to India are expected to rise by almost 60%.

During the two-day visit, the Prime Minister is personally championing British businesses, aiming to secure new partnerships and agreements that will deliver tangible benefits for people across the UK. India, currently the world’s fourth largest economy and projected to become the third largest by 2028, represents a key partner for the UK’s global growth ambitions.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK-India deal “isn’t just a piece of paper—it’s a launchpad for growth.” He added, “With India set to become the third biggest economy in the world by 2028, the opportunities waiting to be seized are unparalleled. Growth in India for British firms means more jobs and prosperity for people at home.”

Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said the mission reflects the UK’s “unlimited ambition” to expand trade with India. “Our deal is the best any country has ever secured with India,” he said. “Now we’re hitting the ground running to make sure British businesses can take full advantage of the huge opportunities this creates.”

Under the new agreement, India’s average tariff on UK products has fallen from 15% to 3%, giving British exporters—from car manufacturers to cosmetic producers—a major competitive edge. Whisky producers have particularly benefited, with tariffs already halved from 150% to 75% and set to fall further to 40% over the next decade.

The deal includes specific provisions to help SMEs by streamlining customs, improving digital trade systems, and offering dedicated support to help smaller businesses enter the Indian market. Many SMEs are part of the Prime Minister’s delegation, eager to explore new export opportunities.

British Airways has confirmed plans to add a third daily flight between Delhi and London Heathrow in 2026, strengthening connectivity between the two countries. Chief Executive Sean Doyle said the Free Trade Agreement would “boost economic momentum” and position the airline “at the centre of increased trade between our two nations.”

Manchester Airport also announced a new direct route to Delhi operated by IndiGo, complementing its existing Mumbai service. This makes it the only UK airport outside London with direct connections to both cities, expected to generate £50 million in annual exports, £25 million in tourism income, and 450 new jobs.

University Vice Chancellors from across the UK are part of the mission, reflecting India’s surging demand for higher education—with an estimated 70 million new student places needed by 2035. The visit provides UK universities with opportunities to form new partnerships and attract international students and investment.

Cultural organisations including the British Film Institute and the National Theatre are also joining the delegation to promote creative collaborations, co-productions, and cultural exchanges across film, fashion, digital media, and the arts.

The visit builds on the momentum from Prime Minister Modi’s trip to the UK in July, during which the trade deal was signed and nearly £6 billion in new investments and export wins were announced—creating 2,200 UK jobs.

Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic described the UK and India as “natural partners,” highlighting the company’s role in supporting India’s growth across aviation, defence, and energy sectors.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister will meet with Prime Minister Modi to discuss further deepening the UK-India relationship, including expanding collaboration under the UK-India Technology Security Initiative. The talks will focus on strengthening partnerships in artificial intelligence, telecoms, and defence technology—creating new opportunities for business growth while bolstering national security.

India’s technology sector, projected to reach a value of £1 trillion by 2030, underlines its growing global influence and the importance of this mission for the UK’s future economic strategy.

Please see a full list of the travelling delegation below:

Businesses, Business Representative Organizations & Cultural institutions

Airbus, Louis Wouter van Wersch
Arup, Jerome Anthony Frost
Baker Mckenzie, Sunwinder Mann
Barclays, Stephen Dainton
Benoy Group, Thomas Cartledge
BP, Murray Auchincloss
British Airways, Sean Doyle
British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland
British eSports, Chester King
BT, Allison Kirkby
Capita, Adolfo Hernandez
City of London, Christopher Hayward
Deloitte LLP, Kirsty Newman
DigiLab, Timothy Dodwell
First Derivative, Victoria Lavery
Founders Forum, Brent Hoberman
HSBC, Manveen Kaur
India Inc Group, Manoj Ladwa
Indian Chamber of Commerce UK, Lord Bilimoria
KPMG, Kamini Mehta
LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group), David Schwimmer
Mace Consult, Davendra Dabasia
MakeUK, Stephen Phipson
Marshmallow, Oliver Kentbraham
Monzo, Anil Tummalapalli
Mott MacDonald, James Harris
Paxman Scalp Cooling, Richard Paxman
Phoenix Court, Saul Klein
Revolut, Siddhartha Jajodia
Rolls Royce, Jitesh Gadhia
SiteHop, Melissa Chambers
Small Business Britain, Michelle Ovens
Standard Chartered, William Winters
Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss
WPP, Mark Julian Read
Zopa, Jaidev Danardana
Altilium, Kamran Mahdavi
Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry, Richard Torbett
Athenian Tech, Kanishk Gaur
Bebida Hospitality, Rohini Sood
Blackburn Chemicals, John Covill
Brandon Medical, Adrian Hall
British Fashion Council, Laura Weir
British Film Commission, Adrian Wootton
British Film Institute, Monica Chadha
British International Investment (BII), Diana Layfield
Carbon Clean, Aniruddha Sharma
Carbon Re, Elizabeth Price
Catagen, Andrew John Woods
Ceres Power, Philip Caldwell
Confederation of British Industry, Rain Newton-Smith
Cornish Lithium, Jamie Airnes
Dulas, Ruth Chapman
ECB / The Hundred, Vikram Banerjee
Edrington, Scott Mccroskie
Elstree Studios, Rebecca Hawkes
Federation of Small Businesses, Martin McTague
FIDO Tech, Victoria Edwards
Gate 7 Limited, Harry Wickham
GEDU Global Education, Vishwajeet Rana
Graphcore (AI), Nigel Toon
GreyParrot AI, Ambarish Mitra
Group Rhodes, Mark Ridgway, OBE, DL
Innovate Finance, Janine Hirt
iwoca, Christoph Rieche
Latent Labs, Simon Kohl
LiNa Energy, William Tope
Manchester Airports Group, Christopher Woodroffe
Manchester Museums, Esme Ward
Microbira, Marianne Laing Ismail
National Science and Media Museum, Joanne Quintontulloch
National Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham
Natural History Museum, Alexandra Burch
Nothing Tech, Carl Yu Pei
NPTC Group, Mark Dacey
Nyobolt, Sai Shivareddy
Occuity, Daniel Daly
Oomph EV, Morag Hutcheon
Oxford Nanopore, Gurdial Sanghera
Oxford Quantum Circuits, Gerald Mullally
Oxford Space Systems, Sean Sutcliffe
Pinewood Studios, Andrew Smith
Port of Leith, Ian Stirling
Recyclus, Robin Brundle
Royal Shakespeare Company, Sandeep Mahal
Scrumconnect Consulting, Praveen Karadiguddi
Sensoteq, Idir Boudaoud
Sport England, Simon Hayes
Sriven Solutions, Sashidhar Bacchu
The Glenmorangie Co, Caspar Macrae
The Great Outdoor Gym Company, Georgina Delaney
Universal Simulation (UNI SIM), James Markey
VIRSEC, Catherine Anne Wallwork
West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Tracy Brabin
West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Michael Hawking
Bend It Networks, Gurinder Chadha
Civic Studios, Namrata Sharma
Clark Door, Andrew Ashley
Diageo, Manik Jhangiani
EY, Rohan Malik
Freshfields, Georgia Dawson
NatWest, Richard Haythornthwaite
Premier League, Clare Sumner
Rolls Royce, Tufan Erginbiligic
Eleven Labs, Mateusz Staniszewski
PG Paper Company Ltd, Puneet Gupta
PG Paper Company Ltd, Poonam Gupta
Scotch Whisky Association, Mark Kent
UKIBC, Richard Heald

Universities

University of Birmingham, Professor Adam Tickell
University of Leicester, Professor Cedric Canagarajah
University Of Liverpool, Professor Timothy Jones
Coventry University, Professor John Latham
Universities UK, Professor Jamie Arrowsmith
University of Lancaster, Professor Simon Guy
University Of Southampton, Professor Andrew Atherton
University Of York, Professor Charles Jeffrey
University of Bristol, Professor Evelyn Welch
Imperial College London, Professor Hugh Brady
Queens University Belfast, Professor Margaret Topping
UCL, Professor Michael Spence
University of Aberdeen, Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya
University Of Surrey, Professor Stephen Jarvis