UK says India trade talks discussing business travel, not broader immigration

• Britain will discuss temporary business visas as part of Free Trade Agreement talks with India but any deal will not contain broader immigration commitments or access to Britain’s labour market for Indian workers, trade minister Kemi Badenoch said.
• Britain launched trade talks with India in Jan 23, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stressed that he won’t sacrifice quality for speed in negotiations.
• Badenoch set out Britain’s stance in response to a question about how government ensures it “speaks with a single voice on migration and mobility in relation to a UK-India trade agreement,” and avoids “disruptive political off-stage noises.”
• “An FTA with India will not contain commitments on immigration or provide access to the UK domestic labour market,” Badenoch said in a written response to lawmakers published on 29 Jun.
• “There will also be no agreement to anything which undermines the principles or functioning of the UK’s points-based immigration system, or which undermines the UK’s ability to control its own border.”
• She added that the negotiations would discuss business mobility, “which would make it easier for highly skilled professionals to deliver services in each other’s markets on a short-term and temporary basis.”

External Link : https://www.reuters.com/world/uk-says-india-trade-talks-discussing-business-travel-not-broader-immigration-2023-06-29/