The UK’s Opposition Labour Party on Monday criticised the governing Conservatives led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of having “over-promised and under-delivered” on relations with India and declared that it is “ready to go” on striking a free trade agreement (FTA) if it wins the July 4 general election.

Addressing the India Global Forum (IGF) in the final full week of the election campaign, the party’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy laid out his ambitions of the FTA being “a floor not a ceiling” of the partnership he aspires to with his “friend” external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

India and the UK have completed 13 rounds of FTA negotiations to enhance the estimated £38.1 billion a year trading relationship, with talks currently stalled amid the election cycles in both countries.

“Many Diwalis have come and gone without a trade deal and too many businesses have been left waiting,” said Lammy, referring to the missed Diwali 2022 deadline set by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the FTA.

“My message to [finance] minister [Nirmala] Sitharaman and [trade] minister [Piyush] Goyal is that Labour is ready to go. Let’s finally get our free trade deal done and move on,” he said, adding he will be in Delhi before the end of July if elected to government on July 4. Lammy said the Conservatives have “over-promised and under-delivered”.

Describing India as a “priority” for the party and an economic, technological and cultural “superpower”, Lammy sought to set the tone for his future tenure in a Labour cabinet — hopeful of taking charge as UK’s foreign secretary.