One of the many benefits the United Kingdom receives after leaving the European Union is that we are able to manage our own international affairs and strengthen our standing on the world stage. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was exercising that benefit last week when he visited India by invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the visit, Boris Johnson made trailblazing achievements by becoming the first British Prime Minister to visit the western Indian state of Gujarat and agreeing on two new policy papers focussing on the economy, defence and cyber security.
The Prime Minister chose to make Gujarat the stop on his two day tour due to the state’s extremely close links to the United Kingdom. Well over 800,000 Gujarati’s currently live in the United Kingdom which is around two thirds of the UK’s 1.2 million Indian population. This means the United Kingdom has the 4th largest population of Gujarati’s after India, Pakistan, and the United States. Of course, the Gujarati people contribute incredibly to the British economy, both today and throughout history – namely through their revolutionising of the corner shop industry which changed the way we looked at our retail laws, making our economy stronger and more competitive.
Due to the Gujarati people’s strong economic ties to the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister could have chosen no more suitable place to discuss the continued economic partnership between Britain and India. Thanks to Brexit, the United Kingdom is able to use our diplomatic strength to better integrate our economy into the greater world economy, rather than being tied to the European Union’s isolationism and exclusivity. The Prime Minister used this advantage to launch negotiations into a Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, which was announced to be formally concluded by the end of October this year. According to the two Prime Ministers agreed joint statement: “the agreement of a [Free Trade Agreement] would unlock the full potential of the trade and commercial relationship, boosting jobs, investment and exports.”. In addition, the Prime Minister’s trip to India agreed deals that will deliver over £1 billion in investment and over 11,000 new jobs in the United Kingdom.
When it comes to defence the United Kingdom and India have had their differences, in particular with regards to the Russian-Ukrainian War. However, the two countries have managed to set aside their differences and agree on a joint strategy in combatting terrorism and cyber threats. Both the UK and India reaffirmed their satisfaction with the cooperation between both countries through the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism that shares information and intelligence on terrorist groups and individuals. Both countries also agreed to work within this framework to develop a sub-group dedicated to countering extremism. The main outcome of the meeting between Johnson and Modi was their joint India-UK cyber statement. This statement outlined the commitment of both countries to develop a partnership that will see a more secure Indo-Pacific region by 2030, along with ensuring both countries increase their defensive capabilities against malicious cyber threats by states and groups.
Foreign visits are an excellent opportunity for the United Kingdom to keep up our international standing and further entrench our international friendships in a time where having allies is vitally important. The Prime Minister achieved these goals by further affirming the defence and economic partnership between the old-world power of the United Kingdom and a growing world power of India.