Moves by the North of England to unlock India trade

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more.

Unlock these with Subscription

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.

First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.

Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.

Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!

Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers

THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers

Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there

Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary.

The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.

‘India is no longer simply a market to sell into.

It is a strategic partner’ | Photo Credit: ANI

The India-United Kingdom Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has opened the door to a new phase in the relationship between the two countries, with the focus now shifting from agreement to action.

The momentum is already being seen, as the leaders from across the North of England have been travelling together to India, for the first time under The Great North banner to strengthen ties on trade, investment, innovation, culture and the visitor economy.

Editorial | Maturing approach: On the India-U.K.

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement

Agreements are only as powerful as the opportunities they unlock.

Tariff reductions, regulatory alignment, and mobility provisions matter enormously; yet, their true value is realised only when businesses on the ground understand precisely where and how they apply.

Keeping this in mind, the Northern Mayors were joined by businesses, small and medium enterprises and universities from across the region to help bolster links, showcase the North’s economic assets and create new opportunities for trade, investment and academic collaboration.

The North of England and India already have deep and growing ties, with nearly 5,40,000 people of Indian origin living across the region.

Indian companies have invested over £1bn in the Northwest alone, supporting more than 6,700 jobs, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry report.

Nearly 200 delegates from across the North were part of the visit, bringing together mayors, businesses, universities and leaders from tourism, culture and sport to make the case for the North as a destination for investment, partnerships and growth.

U.K.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s statement (made in 2024) describing the trade pact as “the floor, not the ceiling” of the bilateral relationship is the true essence of the current ties between New Delhi and London.

The agreement is the result of several rounds of negotiations, over the years — 14 rounds of discussions, with each point deliberated to deliver and cash-in on strengths and individual goals of the two nations.

The U.K.

India Business Council, a mission partner for the Great North delegation, is working to help U.K. businesses better understand the opportunity and reframe how they see India.

India is no longer simply a market to sell into.

It is a strategic partner with the potential to become an integral part of the U.K.’s research and development (R and D), technology, talent and supply chains.

In the last few years, the ministerial and government visits have been largely with a broader vision to keep the ball rolling.

This was seen with former U.K.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s delegation coming to India in 2025 and vice-versa.

But this time we see policymakers coming in to discuss the next steps.

Government meetings, business delegations, university partnerships, R and D collaborations, sports and cultural ties and targeted regional engagements in business hubs of India.

The itinerary was designed to build a long-term relationship.

There is already some impact, with the footprint of Indian businesses in the U.K. having expanded sharply this year, the number of Indian-owned companies rising nearly 60% from the previous year and combined revenues surpassing £105 billion, according to the latest India Meets Britain Tracker published by Grant Thornton UK.

Bilateral trade between India and the U.K. rose to £47.4 billion in 2025, marking an 11.7% increase from the previous year.

Growth was concentrated on advanced manufacturing, clean energy and technology.

With the CETA now in place, the India-U.K. corridor is poised for unprecedented growth, creating value for both economies.