Intensive negotiations ongoing for Diwali trade pact with India: UK

London: Intensive negotiations are ongoing to meet the target to conclude the majority of the India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) talks by Diwali, UK government sources said on Thursday.

Officials said that both countries continue to negotiate a high-ambition free trade agreement that could boost the UK economy by more than GBP 3 billion by 2035.

The UK and India set a target to conclude most of the talks by Diwali (24th October) and intensive negotiations are ongoing, sources said.

Officials familiar with the negotiations also sought to realign the issue of mobility by drawing a distinction between temporary business visas and long-term migration, saying business mobility is not the same as immigration because business mobility covers the temporary entry for talent to work for a specific time period in a trade partner country.

Any commitments we seek on temporary entry will aim to encourage the best and brightest talent in India to temporarily work in the UK, official sources said.

It follows UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman's very vocal concerns over what she dubbed an open borders approach with India as part of an FTA, which many feared may have pushed the FTA negotiations off course from an October-end timeline because the issue of mobility lies at the heart of what India would consider a win-win

trade deal.