Rishi Sunak has insisted a trade deal with India is not guaranteed, as he prepares to meet his Indian counterpart during the G20 summit in Delhi.
The British prime minister will speak to Narendra Modi this weekend at a crunch meeting that could determine the future of a free trade agreement between the two countries, as well as influence India’s approach to Russia.
Sunak is hoping to use the meeting to overcome some of the final hurdles that remain in the way of a deal, including the politically sensitive question of visas for Indian workers and students coming to the UK. But he warned in advance that success was far from guaranteed, even after 18 months of tortuous negotiations.
Speaking to reporters on the way to Delhi, Sunak said: “Without question, India is going to be one of the most significant countries geopolitically over the next years and decades, and it’s vitally important for the UK to deepen our ties, particularly economically and more broadly with India.
“That’s why we’ve been working towards an ambitious and comprehensive free trade deal. But it’s not a given: these things are a lot of work and a lot of time.”
Sunak’s immediate predecessors, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, both pushed to have an agreement in place by last October, in time for Diwali. They were thwarted, however, amid arguments over everything from visas to rules governing intellectual property.
British officials say Sunak has put less emphasis on signing an agreement than either Truss or Johnson. But despite significant areas of disagreement, they remain hopeful a deal can still be done by the end of the year and before Modi hits the campaign trail for the Indian elections next spring.
In a sign that Sunak wants to prioritise good relations with India, he hinted that he would not use his meeting with Modi to raise the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, the British man who is facing the death penalty in India having been accused of terror offences.
More than 70 MPs have called on the prime minister to urge Modi to release Johal, who comes from Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, and whom the campaign group Reprieve says has been tortured and made to sign false confessions.
The prime minister refused to say he would do so. He added: “This is something that, just so people are reassured, has already been raised on multiple levels on multiple occasions.”
In another sign of Sunak’s keenness to strike a trade agreement, Downing Street said that business visas could be a part of an eventual deal – but not student visas. New Delhi says it does not want increased numbers of visas but merely a streamlined process for applying for intra-company transfers.
Officials on both sides believe they will be able to reach agreement on the visa issue, although Sunak faces political resistance from his allies at home if he does. This week, Suella Braverman, the home secretary, made clear to her cabinet colleagues that she would oppose any agreement that increased the UK’s record migration levels.
Speaking before his meeting with Modi, Sunak insisted he would not sign a deal just for the sake of it. “I’ve never put artificial deadlines on these trade deals, I’ve always said we shouldn’t sacrifice quality for speed,” he said. “And we need to end up with something that works genuinely for both sides.”
