Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

India Trade Deal

Thursday 30 November 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Recent progress on negotiating a trade deal with India includes advanced talks in round 13, focusing on goods, market access, services, and investment.
  • The total trade in goods and services between the UK and India was 36.3 billion in the year to March 2023.
  • An FTA with India, the fifth-largest economy and one of the fastest-growing, would be a significant boost to the UK economy.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Davis Con Goole and Pocklington
Business & Trade
Context

Discussions on the progress of negotiating a trade deal between the UK and India.

Question

What recent progress has been made on negotiating a trade deal with India?

Answer from Greg Hands

I am pleased to confirm that advanced talks with India are ongoing. We are in round 13, with discussions currently focused on goods, market access, services and investment. We remain clear that we will not sign until we have a free trade agreement that fully benefits the UK people and economy.

Answered
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Q2 David Davis Con Goole and Pocklington
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

Total trade in goods and services between the UK and India was £36.3 billion in the year to March 2023, highlighting the potential benefits of a free trade agreement.

Question

Total trade in goods and services between the UK and India was £36.3 billion in the year to March 2023. An FTA with the fifth-largest economy in the world, and one of the fastest-growing, would be a massive boost to the UK economy and put UK businesses at the front of the queue to supply India's growing middle class, which is expected to be a quarter of a billion consumers by 2050. This is an important exploitation of Brexit, so will the Minister do all he can to bring this deal over the line as soon as possible for Britain?

Answer from Greg Hands

My right hon. Friend of course has a lot of experience in complex negotiations and I can say that we, like him, will not be satisfied until we have the right deal. He is right that a deal with India would be a big step forward in the UK's post-Brexit strategy to refocus UK trade on the Indo-Pacific region, which represents one third of global GDP. My negotiators and I continue to work at pace and we will negotiate until we have secured the right deal.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to bringing the deal over the line as soon as possible.

How: We, Like Him, Will Not Be Satisfied Until We Have The Right Deal

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