Scotch whisky in focus as UK PM Starmer lands in Mumbai, to meet Modi on Oct 9
Starmer emphasizes that there would be no new visa concessions for Indians, and that the focus of the visit was on business and investment, not immigration
The United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday (October 8), ahead of his meeting with PM Narendra Modi in India's financial capital.
Starmer, who flew in from London along with a business delegation, was greeted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and state Governor Acharya Devvrat.
As he began his two-day trip to India to promote a trade deal signed between the two countries in July 2025, Starmer publicly stated that there would be no new visa concessions for Indian workers or students.
Starmer emphasized that the focus of the visit and the trade deal was on business engagement and investment, not immigration. He noted that visa disagreements had complicated previous trade negotiations, and the current trade deal was finalized without new visa concessions.
Also Read: UK PM Keir Starmer’s first official visit to India next week
India-UK strategic partnership
Modi and Starmer will meet in Mumbai on Thursday (October 9) as part of the process to strengthen the India-UK strategic partnership. They will attend the CEO Forum and the 6th edition of the Global Fintech Fest in the city.
During their meeting, Modi and Starmer will take stock of the progress in diverse aspects of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with the Vision 2035 roadmap of initiatives in trade and investment, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and energy, health, education, and people-to-people relations.
Both the leaders will engage with businesses and industry leaders on opportunities presented by the India UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement as a central pillar of the future India-UK economic partnership.
They will exchange views on issues of regional and global importance. Both the leaders will also engage with industry experts, policymakers, and innovators.
Also Read: How India is dismantling its protectionism with UK FTA | Big picture, finer points
Scotch whisky industry a ‘big winner’
The Scotch whisky industry will be in the spotlight as a “big winner” of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which the UK government expects will grow the Scottish economy by 190 million pounds a year.
Downing Street said Scotch Whisky Association members and producers are part of Starmer’s trade mission to explore first-hand a potential increase in whisky sales to India worth an estimated 1 billion pounds a year, creating more than 1,000 new UK jobs.
According to officials in London, Starmer's first Indian visit as UK PM will include key meetings with senior Indian government ministers and businesses to deepen bilateral trade and diplomatic relationships that will benefit all parts of the United Kingdom.
“The historic trade deal the UK government struck with India this year is great news for Scotland and especially our whisky industry; but having secured the deal, our challenge and responsibility now is to put this deal into action,” said Douglas Alexander, UK Secretary of State for Scotland.
“Leading this trade mission, the Prime Minister will be beating the drum for Scotland’s finest products. With the strength and support of the UK government, they can be world-reaching in terms of export markets,” said the minister.
Also Read: 'To fully capitalise on FTA with UK, India must outperform Chinese exports'
CETA to boost economic growth
Scotch whisky is among the products to see Indian import tariffs considerably slashed once the FTA, known as the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), completes its British Parliament ratification process next year.
“Delivering liberalised tariffs on all our exports to India will open up access to the world's largest whisky market in the years to come and give greater choice to Indian consumers,” said Mark Kent, Chief Executive at the Scotch Whisky Association.
“The deal is a good example of the government working closely with industry to provide long-term strategic opportunities, as we similarly hope to work with the government to help us weather the immediate strong headwinds facing the industry,” he said.
The UK government is keen to highlight that the benefits of the “landmark” CETA agreement reached during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s UK visit in July will boost economic growth across all parts of the country, boosting export opportunities for other iconic Scottish products such as shortbread and popular fizzy drink Irn Bru as well.
“This deal with India could be transformative for the industry over the long term. On this trade mission, we will be looking to take full advantage of the opportunities this crucial trade deal brings for Scotland,” added Douglas Alexander, who was Trade Minister when the FTA was finalised two months ago.
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle and Investment Minister Lord Jason Stockwood are among the UK ministers joining Starmer’s delegation to India, where the focus will be on the implementation of the CETA. The British government's analysis indicates the agreement will increase bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds, hike UK GDP by 4.8 billion pounds, and boost wages by 2.2 billion pounds every year in the long run.
(With agency inputs)