UK-India trade deal: perhaps we should be a little more enthusiastic?

On Thursday, Calum Miller was quoted as saying:

We support the opening of trade, which is vital in the face of the tariff wars launched by Donald Trump. But the gains from this deal are a small fraction of what the Government could deliver for jobs and growth from a better deal with the EU.

I don’t deny that, at the moment, that statement is true. But, as a first step, this is a significant trade deal. India now has the fourth largest economy, having overtaken Japan this year, and the growing middle class has a craving for branded goods, the sort of things that we, as a nation, are pretty good at. And that market is growing rapidly. GDP growth is expected to be just over 6% this year, slightly lower than the previous two years, but at that rate, the economy will be larger that Germany’s by the end of the decade.

I’ve always been aware that the Party doesn’t really pay a lot of attention to India in terms of policy. That’s partly because, in geopolitical terms, it’s become a relatively quiet part of the world. Yes, there is historic tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, and an ongoing territorial dispute with China, but for the most part, those relationships are managed fairly discreetly and flare-ups are limited. In other words, these are disputes that continue below the radar of international media, despite their significance to the diaspora and to those directly affected.

Federal International Relations Committee has, in recent years, focused on China, which is undoubtedly a source of concern on multiple levels, and I appreciate that there is only so much capacity amongst a group of capable and engaged volunteer experts, but I do think that some thought needs to be given to how we could strengthen the UK’s relationship with India, not only in terms of trade but as a military and diplomatic partner going forward.

And yes, there are issues that might make us uncomfortable. The Modi Government is not entirely enthusiastic about democracy, and issues of equality are troubling from a western perspective, but a stronger relationship might encourage change that we could applaud.

In an increasingly complex world, where many of the perceived certainties are coming into question, building partnerships with significant regional and global powers is a way of making up for the influence lost as a result of Brexit.

It’s just a thought, but it would be remiss of me not to raise it…