More than 6,500 new jobs will be created around the UK thanks to £1bn of new UK-India trade and investment announced by the Prime Minister today (Tuesday 4 May 2021).

The package contains over £533m of new Indian investment into the UK, which is expected to create more than 6,000 jobs in vital and growing sectors such as health and technology. £200m of these deals will support low carbon growth.

This includes a £240 million investment by the Serum Institute of India in the UK into their vaccine business and a new sales office which will create a large number of jobs. The sales office is expected to generate new business worth over $1 billion, £200 million of which will be invested into the UK. Serum’s investment will support clinical trials, research & development and possibly manufacturing of vaccines. This will help the UK and the world to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and other deadly diseases. Serum have already started phase one trials in the UK of a one-dose nasal vaccine for coronavirus, in partnership with Codagenix INC.

British businesses have also secured new export deals with India worth more than £446 million, which will drive UK growth and create more than 400 British jobs. This includes CMR Surgical exporting its next-generation ‘Versius’ surgical robotic system which helps surgeons perform minimal access surgery being rolled out to hospitals in India. This export deal is worth £200 million and will result in the creation of 100 new jobs in the UK.

This afternoon the Prime Minister will hold a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Modi to agree a deeper relationship between the UK and India across trade, health, climate and defence.

This includes agreeing an Enhanced Trade Partnership. The partnership will unlock new opportunities for British businesses exporting to India and Indian businesses investing in the UK.

Trade between the UK and India is already worth around £23bn a year, supporting more than half a million jobs. Last week the Prime Minister spoke to Indian business leaders from companies Infosys and HCL to discuss the growing importance of the economic relationship between the UK and India.

The UK-India business community has demonstrated its strength over the last week in response to India’s coronavirus surge. The British Asian Trust has raised over £1.6 million in the last week through their emergency appeal and UK business leaders have mobilised in response to the Indian High Commission’s request for vital equipment.

The Partnership agreed today will set the ambition to double the value of UK-India trade again by 2030 and declares our shared intent to begin work towards a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. With almost 1.4 billion people, India’s population is bigger than the EU and US combined and by far the largest market the UK has committed to negotiating a trade deal with to date.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Like every aspect of the UK-India relationship, the economic links between our countries make our people stronger and safer. Each and every one of the more than 6,500 jobs we have announced today will help families and communities build back from coronavirus and boost the British and Indian economies.

In the decade ahead, with the help of the new Partnership signed today and a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, we will double the value of our trading partnership with India and take the relationship between our two countries to new highs.

The Enhanced Trade Partnership agreed today creates immediate opportunities for British businesses in India across industries including food and drink, life sciences and the service sector. Non-tariff barriers on fruit and medical devices will be lowered – allowing British businesses to export more of their products to India and boosting UK growth and jobs.

It also commits both sides to addressing immediate market access barriers as well as continuing to seek further opportunities as we negotiate an FTA, benefitting businesses and consumers in both countries.

A future UK-India trade deal will support hundreds of thousands of jobs and boost the economies of both the UK and India by potentially lowering or removing current tariffs such as those of up to 150% on whisky and up to 125% on automotives as well as on other British products. It would also create huge benefits for British services – 4 out of 5 of India’s fastest-growing imports are for services like IP and telecommunications.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a virtual meeting today to agree a deeper relationship between the UK and India across trade, health, climate and defence. This includes agreeing an Enhanced Trade Partnership to unlock new opportunities for Indian and British businesses, and committing to negotiate a UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The Partnership sets the ambition to double the value of UK-India trade by 2030 and declares the two countries’ shared intent to begin work towards negotiations on a comprehensive FTA. India is by far the largest market the UK has committed to negotiating a trade deal with to date.

The Prime Ministers will also announce £1 billion in new UK-India trade and investment, including in vital and growing sectors such as health and technology.

The UK-India business community has demonstrated its strength over the last week in response to India’s coronavirus surge. The British Asian Trust has raised over £1.6 million in the last week through their emergency appeal and UK business leaders have mobilised in response to the Indian High Commission’s request for vital equipment. BOC Ltd has donated 5,000 empty oxygen cylinders, the first of which were transferred to Chennai this morning by the Indian Air Force.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

Like every aspect of the UK-India relationship, the economic links between our countries make our people stronger and safer.

In the decade ahead, with the help of the new Partnership signed today and a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, we will double the value of our trading partnership with India and take the relationship between our two countries to new highs.

Alex Ellis, High Commissioner to India said:

Trade and investment between the UK and India is already significant, creating jobs and growth in both countries. Today our Prime Ministers have set an ambitious target of doubling trade by 2030 and announcing £1 billion of new trade and investment. I will work tirelessly with our Indian friends and partners in the public and private sector to fulfil our leaders’ ambition.

A future UK-India trade deal will support hundreds of thousands of jobs and boost the economies of both the UK and India.

The Enhanced Trade Partnership will create immediate opportunities for businesses across industries, including: a commitment for mutual recognition of Seafarers’ Certificate of Competency; an independent risk-based decision-making process for suitable listing and re-listing of new and de-listed Indian fishery establishments and phased reduction in shrimp sampling protocol; and, a taskforce under a new healthcare pillar which will provide opportunities for Indian nurses and nursing associates seeking to train and work in the UK’s National Health Service.

The ETP also commits both sides to addressing immediate market access barriers as well as continuing to seek further opportunities as we negotiate an FTA, benefitting businesses and consumers in both countries.

Further information

Trade between the UK and India is already worth around £23 billion a year, supporting more than half-a-million jobs.

The £1 billion package of new UK-India trade and investment includes:

• Over £533 million of new Indian investment into the UK, in vital and growing sectors such as health and technology

• British exports to India worth more than £446 million. This includes CMR Surgical exporting its next-generation ‘Versius’ surgical robotic system, which helps surgeons perform minimal access surgery, being rolled out to hospitals in India.

• £200 million of these deals will support low carbon growth.

The package announced today will create more than 6,500 new jobs around the UK.

Last week the Prime Minister spoke to the CEOs of leading Indian technology firms and prominent investors Infosys and HCL.

For media queries, please contact:

Media queries: BHCMediaDelhi@fco.gov.uk

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Youtube, Eventbrite and Blogs

In the first major in-person diplomatic gathering since the pandemic began and the first gathering of G7 Foreign Ministers since 2019, Dominic Raab will lead discussions on pressing geopolitical issues that threaten to undermine democracy, freedoms and human rights. This includes relations with Russia, China, and Iran, as well as the crisis in Myanmar, the violence in Ethiopia, and the ongoing war in Syria.

The G7 includes the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU. Following talks through the day, the foreign ministers will hold a dinner discussion with guest nations Australia, India, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, and Brunei as the current ASEAN Chair.

The Foreign Secretary will use the evening to outline his vision for cooperation between the G7 and the nations of the Indo-Pacific region to develop stronger trade ties, ensure stability and tackle climate change.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

The UK’s presidency of the G7 is an opportunity to bring together open, democratic societies and demonstrate unity at a time when it is much needed to tackle shared challenges and rising threats.

The addition of our friends from Australia, India, the Republic of Korea and South Africa, as well as the chair of ASEAN reflects the growing significance of the Indo Pacific region for the G7.

The discussions in the morning will cover the coup in Myanmar. The Foreign Secretary will urge G7 nations to take stronger action against the military junta. This includes expanding targeted sanctions against individuals and entities connected to the junta; support for arms embargoes, and increased humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable in the country.

The discussions will then turn to the situation in Libya, and the ongoing war in Syria. The afternoon session will cover the situation in Ethiopia, as well as Somalia, the Sahel, and Western Balkans. The foreign ministers will also discuss Russia’s ongoing malign activity including through the build-up of troops on the border with Ukraine, and its imprisonment of opposition figure Alexei Navalny and the situation in Belarus.

Mr Chair,

Let me begin by expressing our deep appreciation for the dedication of those who have continued to support UN Peacekeeping and to deliver mandates in the extraordinarily challenging circumstances we have seen this year, be they uniformed or civilian, in the field or in HQ. Above all, the United Kingdom pays tribute to the sacrifices made by Peacekeepers, and those who support them, in the course of fulfilling their duties in pursuit of international peace and security.

Mr Chair, in the interests of efficiency, and practising what we preach, I will set out opening remarks by the United Kingdom in a single statement today which will cover the session as a whole, as well as the cross-cutting overview report, accountability bodies and SEA.

The United Kingdom remains a committed supporter of adequate, cost-effective resources for peacekeeping – to which we also contribute as troop and personnel provider, and training partner. This is essential to deliver the mandates this organisation agrees.

The peacekeeping finance package we adopt should support well-run, operationally effective missions, which manage resources efficiently, consistent with agreed management reforms, and which take decisions based on data and evidence. This will support full mandate delivery, including on key issues such as safety and security for all, better performance, accountability, human rights protection, effective transitions and environmental impact.
Given Peacekeeping is the highest contributor to climate change within the UN system, we welcome improved reporting on impacts, and urge greater progress on reducing the impact, including in context of transition.

We look forward to discussing these issues, and others, with all delegations, including in the Peacekeeping cross-cutting overview report, on which we look forward to working closely with others to agree a resolution.

The United Kingdom welcomes the reports of bodies such as the OIOS and the BOA. These underpin a culture of accountability and continuous improvement within the Organisation, and we support full engagement by the Secretariat and peacekeeping organisations with their recommendations.

On SEA, we applaud efforts towards a zero-tolerance, victim-centred, harmonised approach across the system. But the number of cases remains high, and shows more effort is needed to eradicate SEA across the entire system. We must all work together constructively so the committee can speak in one voice on this urgent issue and ensure the UN is properly mandated and equipped to achieve this. Mr Chair, I would also take this opportunity to note that we are proud the UK has become the largest contributor to the UN Trust Fund in support of victims, and we encourage other members to join us.

We also look forward to working closely with other delegations to achieve a resolution to the long-running issue of seconded personnel, building on the efforts made in the first resumed session.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom looks forward to making rapid progress this session under your leadership and guidance. Given the agenda, there is no need for this session to go to the wire, and for missions to be in fear of shutdown. We should show our support to Peacekeeping operations at this difficult time, by ensuring we adopt the necessary resources in good time and at the earliest possible date.

Finally, before I close, I would like to express my gratitude to you, Mr Chair, and the Bureau members for their hard work in continuing to service the work of the Fifth Committee, and also to colleagues from the Fifth Committee Secretariat, the ACABQ, and UN Secretariat for their continued efforts and support to our ongoing work in these challenging circumstances.