UK won’t relax visa rules for India, Starmer says

Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain will not relax visa rules for India, speaking before arriving in the country to reap the benefits of the latest trade deal.

The Prime Minister is leading a delegation of more than 100 entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and university vice presidents as he seeks to boost UK investment and improve stagnant economic growth.

Sir Keir said there were “huge opportunities” to improve trade and cultural ties with India.

But he said there were no plans to open more visa pathways to Indian workers or students.

“The issue is not about visas,” Sir Keir said. “This is about business participation, investment and bringing jobs and prosperity into the UK.”

England Trade agreement with India signed in July After years of negotiation.

This will mean UK cars and whiskey will be cheaper to export to India, and Indian textiles and jewelery will be cheaper to export to the UK as part of a multi-billion-pound trade boost.

The agreement included a three-year exemption on Social Security paid by Indian employees working in the UK on short-term visas.

But ministers insisted there was no wider change to immigration policy.

The Labor government is trying to reduce levels of immigration to the UK and announced tough policy on consensus status at the party’s conference last week.

Speaking to reporters on the plane en route to Mumbai, Sir Keir said visas “play no role” in the trade deal with India and that this remains the case.

Asked whether the UK was trying to attract tech entrepreneurs following US President Donald Trump’s changes to the H-1B visa in the US, Sir Keir said the UK wanted to attract “the best talent” from around the world to help grow the UK economy, but repeatedly said there were no plans for new visa routes to India.

Among the businesses traveling with PM was British Airways, which announced plans to introduce a third daily flight between Delhi and Heathrow next year.

Manchester Airport has also announced a new direct route to Delhi.

During the two-day trip, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who conveyed his “warm birthday greetings” to Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media ahead of Sir Keir’s visit.

Sir Keir said he would not be pursuing the case, telling reporters: “Just for the record, I didn’t send birthday greetings to Putin, what am I going to do? I think he said it came as a surprise.”

Asked whether he would criticize Modi over India’s purchase of Russian oil, Sir Keir said Britain’s focus was on Russia’s shadow oil tanker fleet.

The Prime Minister said Britain was “one of the leading countries involved in the ‘Shadow Fleet'” – the name given to irregular tankers ferrying oil from Russia.