Overview

• A 125-strong UK delegation accompanied Keir Starmer as 64 Indian companies pledged £1.3 billion of investment in Britain.
• Both governments agreed to fast-track ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and reposition JETCO to oversee delivery.
• New initiatives include an India–UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre with initial joint funding of £24 million, a Joint Centre for AI, a Critical Minerals Industry Guild, a Climate Technology Startup Fund, and an Offshore Wind Taskforce.
• Nine UK universities were cleared for Indian branch campuses, with Southampton open in Gurugram and formal steps announced for Lancaster in Bengaluru and Surrey in GIFT City alongside approvals for Liverpool, York, Aberdeen, Bristol, Queen’s Belfast and Coventry.
• Defence ties deepened with a government-to-government supply of Lightweight Multirole Missiles, Indian Air Force instructors set to train with the RAF, and expanded maritime cooperation including plans for a Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence.