Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United Kingdom on July 23, 2025, for a key diplomatic engagement, the trip is expected to mark the formal signing of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a major milestone in bilateral relations. Modi will meet British PM Keir Starmer, address security concerns like the Khalistani threat, and engage with UK business leaders. From the UK, he will travel to the Maldives for a state visit on July 25-26, as India and the UK deepen their ties, this visit focuses on trade, defense, technology, and diplomatic alignment.
Relations between India and the UK have grown stronger in recent years, the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021 and adopted Roadmap 2030. This roadmap focuses on trade, defense, education, climate, and people-to-people exchanges and in 2023, they launched the 2+2 Foreign and Defense Dialogue and the Technology Security Initiative. Business ties also improved, with bilateral trade crossing $23 billion in 2024-25, according to Indian government data cited by Indian Express.
The Strategic Partnership, originally elevated in 2010, received a boost post-Brexit, allowing both nations to redefine cooperation across sectors.
During his fourth visit to the UK, PM Modi will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III. He will also review the status of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the agenda includes trade, defense, innovation, climate action, health, and education. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that Modi will also engage with British industry leaders. “They will also exchange views on issues of regional and global importance,” the MEA added.
The highlight of this trip will be the formal signing of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement and India, and the UK concluded negotiations on May 6 after starting talks in January 2022. The FTA eliminates duties on 99% of Indian exports to the UK, benefiting textiles, leather, gems, jewellery, auto parts and engines. In return, India will reduce tariffs on 90% of British products, including medical devices and alcoholic beverages.
UK officials estimate that the FTA could boost bilateral trade by £25.5 billion annually by 2040, PM Modi described the agreement as “ambitious and mutually beneficial.” The UK called it their biggest and most economically significant bilateral trade deal. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will join Modi in London for the signing ceremony. As of Tuesday, legal scrubbing and last-minute formalities were still underway, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
India plans to raise the growing Khalistani threat in the UK, foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the matter had already been flagged to PM Starmer during the G7 Summit in Canada in June. The two leaders had earlier interacted during the G20 Summit in Brazil last year. Modi is expected to reiterate India's concerns during this visit. Misri stated, “This should be a matter of concern for our partners as well.”
India is also pressing for the extradition of Lalit Modi, Nirav Modi, and Vijay Mallya, all wanted for financial fraud. Misri said India continues to pursue these cases actively, even as they move through the UK’s legal system. “We continue to follow up very closely with our partners in the UK on these matters,” he added.
