LONDON — Britain and India are closing in on a long-coveted commerce deal after an intensive two-day negotiating dash in London.
British enterprise leaders have been invited to No. 10 Downing Avenue on Tuesday afternoon for an announcement on the talks.
It comes after India’s commerce chief Piyush Goyal advised attendees at a enterprise roundtable in London Tuesday morning that “25 of 26 issues have been agreed” within the negotiations, three individuals acquainted with the briefing advised POLITICO.
India’s commerce minister was talking throughout his second day of talks with Commerce Secretary Jonathan Reynolds as the 2 sides attempt to push the long-sought deal over the end line after years of negotiations.
British stakeholders count on to be briefed on the talks by Amanda Brooks, director common for Commerce Negotiations on the Division for Enterprise and Commerce, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
An announcement is coming “quickly,” mentioned a fourth individual acquainted with the negotiations. All had been granted anonymity to talk freely.
Talks on a bilateral commerce deal started in early 2022. Then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised the deal can be struck by Diwali that November, however an settlement by no means materialized.
Reynolds traveled to Delhi to restart the negotiations in February. A breakthrough within the talks got here after India accepted Britain would solely supply minor adjustments to its visa regime, with the 2 sides closing the mobility chapter of the deal in current weeks.
Rule adjustments that may permit extra Indians to acquire visas to work within the U.Ok. have been a politically delicate subject within the talks. A British official mentioned early this week that the brand new guidelines will result in solely 100 new visas for Indian staff per yr.
A No. 10 spokesperson mentioned on Tuesday afternoon that that negotiations had been “constructive and productive.” They added: “We’ve been clear that we are going to solely signal a deal in our greatest curiosity.”