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India and UK Advance Toward Free Trade Agreement Signing by September

Ministers plan a September signing to unlock tariff cuts, regulatory cooperation and a convention preventing double taxation

Overview

  • Legal teams from both countries are finalising the text of the India-UK FTA concluded on May 6 before formal signature
  • Piyush Goyal and UK Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds met in London on June 18–19 to set a time-bound roadmap for finalisation and implementation
  • The deal will eliminate duties on labour-intensive Indian exports such as leather, footwear and clothing and ease imports of UK whisky and cars
  • A Double Contribution Convention within the FTA will prevent temporary workers from facing social security charges in both India and the UK
  • Once signed—expected by September—the agreement will need UK parliamentary ratification (up to a year) and faster Indian approval to double bilateral trade to $120 billion by 2030