Britain still wants to agree to a free trade deal with India by Diwali later this month, Prime Minister Liz Truss’s spokesman said on Wednesday.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who met Indian leader Narendra Modi in April, set an ambitious target to sign the free trade agreement by Diwali. Asked if the government still wanted a trade deal by this date, the spokesman said: “Yes, we are working on this high ambition free trade deal that would put the UK at the front of the queue to supply India’s growing middle class.”

Britain faces difficult fiscal decisions in a budget at the end of the month, the spokesman said, adding that finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng would set out the plans.

“There will be deeply difficult decisions to be taken given some of the global challenges we’re facing,” the spokesman said, adding that public spending was due to rise. “Future spending will be for the chancellor (Kwarteng) to set out.”