British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reaffirmed his commitment to a “truly ambitious” free trade agreement (FTA) with India and indicated his plans to visit New Delhi for the G20 Summit in September.

Hosting a special reception to celebrate India Global Forum’s UK-India Week 2023 in the garden of 10 Downing Street in London, Sunak said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he agrees that there is a huge potential to step up bilateral trade ties.

The 43-year-old British Indian leader interacted with business leaders and celebrities, including boxing champion Mary Kom, musicians Shankar Mahadevan and Zakir Hussain, Bollywood stars Sonam Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi, on Wednesday evening as part of what he dubbed as a “big moment” in the bilateral calendar and the start of an Indian summer for the UK.

“Prime Minister Modiji and I agree there’s huge potential here. We’re making great progress together on the 2030 Roadmap and we want to strike a truly ambitious trade deal that benefits both our nations, bringing tremendous opportunities to businesses and consumers, both in India and here at home,” said Sunak.

“It’s not just UK-India Week, but a whole Indian summer. And I don’t just mean the hot weather we’re having, I mean that over the next few weeks, the eyes of the world will be on India. There’s the G20 in New Delhi, I can’t wait to be there,” he said.

India and the UK recently concluded the tenth round of FTA negotiations and an 11th round is set to begin in the next few weeks.

At the UK-India Week reception, the British Prime Minister was joined by his wife Akshata Murty and joked that the garden party was also in honour of his mother-in-law Sudha Murty, who is visiting from India.

“There is so much to celebrate. The links between our two countries are closer than ever. Just look at the Coronation of His Majesty the King. On that most historic day, people of Indian heritage were at the heart of proceedings, presenting the Coronation regalia and as part of the delegation of faith leaders,” he said.

“It shows the depth of the bonds we share, the living bridge between our two nations, the thriving business links, and the flow of ideas and investments, all stronger than ever. But of course, we want to do more,” he said.

“Here we are, in Downing Street, with a Prime Minister of Indian heritage, with all of you at the top of your game, leaders in your fields showing that anything is possible. So, let’s keep raising our sights and let’s keep scoring boundaries as we build this partnership,” added Sunak, using a cricketing metaphor as he also referenced the cricket World Cup to be hosted by India later this year as the “biggest event of all”.

The India Global Forum’s (IGF) fifth annual UK-India Week, which runs until Friday, brings together ministers, business leaders and policymakers to deliberate on the key sectors of focus within the bilateral relationship.

“We are all here, from such diverse backgrounds, experiences and journeys, yet what unites us is our passion and contribution to enhancing what I describe as the winning partnership between the UK and India,” said IGF founder Manoj Ladwa.

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