New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to his newly-elected British counterpart Keir Starmer and congratulated him for taking charge of the United Kingdom after a landmark victory in Thursday’s election to remove Conservatives from power after 14 years. The Indian Prime Minister also extended an invitation to Starmer for an early India visit.
According to an official release, both leaders recalled the historic relations between the two countries and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UK. The two leaders also appreciated the positive contributions of the Indian community in the social, economic and political development of the UK and agreed to continue to promote close people-to-people ties.
PM Modi also invited Starmer for an early visit to India. The two leaders also agreed to work towards an early conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-UK Free Trade Agreement, which has long been negotiated between the two countries and something the Labour has promised to close.
PM Modi congratulates Starmer, lauds Sunak
As the results swung in the favour of a Labour landslide in the UK, PM Modi took to X to congratulate Starmer after he led the Labour Party to a historic victory in the UK elections. The Indian PM also lauded outgoing PM Rishi Sunak for his “admirable leadership” and active contribution to deepening India-UK ties.
Taking to X, PM Modi expressed optimism towards positive and constructive collaboration in all areas between India and the UK. “I look forward to our positive and constructive collaboration to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in all areas, fostering mutual growth and prosperity,” he said.
PM Modi also had words of praise for Sunak, under whom the Conservatives endured the worst drubbing in its two-century history. “Thank you @RishiSunak for your admirable leadership of the UK, and your active contribution to deepen the ties between India and the UK during your term in office. Best wishes to you and your family for the future,” he said on X.
The Labour swept 412 seats in the 650-member Parliament, making it a historic victory. However, the mandate had little to do with support to Labour than it was the fury directed at Rishi Sunak’s Tories, which suffered its worst performance in the two-century history by getting only 121 seats as it was punished by voters for economic issues, housing shortages and administrative chaos. Sunak described it as a “sobering verdict” following the chaos that stemmed from the debacle of the Brexit referendum.
Starmer’s position on India
The 61-year-old Labour leader has been trying to build his party’s relationship with British Indians, alienated under former leader Jeremy Corbyn over a perceived anti-India stance on Kashmir. His party’s 2024 election manifesto commits to seeking “a new strategic partnership for global security, climate security, economic security”. Under Starmer’s leadership, the Labour Party has vowed to stamp out anti-India sentiments within its ranks
Starmer on Friday named David Lammy as his new foreign secretary, who has previously pledged to close the FTA with India and has been a vocal advocate of strong bilateral ties with New Delhi. Lammy told India Global Forum in London last week that he intends to visit India within the first month of office.
“My message to [Finance] Minister [Nirmala] Sitharaman and [Trade] Minister [Piyush] Goyal is that Labour is ready to go. Let’s finally get our free trade deal done and move on,” he said last week, describing India as a “priority” for the party and an economic, technological and cultural “superpower”.
(with inputs from PTI)