Sir Keir Starmer’s two-day visit to Mumbai in early October 2025 was designed to do more than briefly headline diplomatic pages; it was a carefully choreographed mission to turn the political momentum of July’s Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into tangible deals, partnerships and institutional linkages. The trip—Starmer’s first major trade mission to India—brought 125 senior British business, academic and cultural figures and resulted in headline announcements that ran the gamut from defence sales to education collaborations, underscoring how London and New Delhi now see each other as strategic economic partners rather than merely bilateral interlocutors.
A first official visit with a trade agenda
Starmer arrived in Mumbai at the height of the Global Fintech Fest and the CEO Summit, bringing with him Britain’s largest ever government trade mission to India. The PM framed the mission as the practical follow-through to the CETA signed in July—“It’s not just a piece of paper, it’s a launchpad for growth,” he said—repeating a theme that ran through every engagement: turn diplomatic goodwill into jobs and contracts for British business while offering Indian companies new routes to markets, technology and investment. The visit, timed to capitalise on the commercial platforms that Mumbai provides, laid concrete markers of intent that both capitals hope will translate into rapid implementation.
From treaty text to trade floors
The UK–India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement—published in full by the UK government in July 2025—provides the scaffolding for much of the diplomatic choreography seen in Mumbai. The treaty is deliberately broad, covering goods, services, digital trade, intellectual property and innovation chapters intended to lower tariffs, streamline customs procedures and spur cooperation in technology and skills. Ministers and business leaders on both sides repeatedly stressed that the agreement’s value will be judged by the speed and scale of its implementation: tariff cuts must translate into market gains for exporters, and regulatory cooperation must ease the path for investment rather than remain technical copy.
Missiles, engines and the widening of strategic commerce
If the trade mission was meant to emphasise economic opportunity, the defence announcements showed how that opportunity now extends into strategic industry. In Mumbai, the UK and India signed a £350 million contract for UK-manufactured lightweight multirole missiles—built by Thales in Northern Ireland—part of a package that officials described as the opening of a broader complex weapons partnership. The deal, which the British government said would secure hundreds of jobs at the Thales factory, signals a deeper level of defence industrial cooperation and a mutual willingness to integrate supply chains and co-production, even as both sides continue to stress the civilian economic benefits of the visit.
Universities, culture and people-to-people ties
Labour and soft power were also central to the mission’s script. A large contingent of UK higher-education leaders—14 vice-chancellors travelled with the prime minister—underscored the education chapter of the CETA and the commercial possibilities of academic partnerships. Indian officials and local media reported enthusiastic talk of UK campuses and collaborative research hubs in India, and New Delhi highlighted the potential for British universities to expand access to Indian students and research collaborations. Culture accompanied commerce: Britain’s film, theatre and museum representatives signalled a push to develop joint productions, exchanges and co-production deals in film and the creative industries, part of a broader bid to deepen people-to-people links that accompany economic ties.
Fintech, digital IDs and the architecture of cooperation
Starmer’s presence at the Global Fintech Fest was symbolic and strategic. Fintech, digital identity architecture, and regulatory cooperation in payments and data flows were discussed as immediate areas for collaboration—sectors where India’s scale and innovation, particularly in digital public infrastructure, offer fast gains for UK firms. Officials signalled interest in piloting mutual recognition of standards and in joint initiatives that could accelerate cross-border financial services, payments interoperability and shared fintech regulatory sandboxes. Those conversations build on the CETA’s chapters on digital trade and innovation and are likely to yield targeted pilot projects before broader institutional arrangements are concluded.
Economic returns—and the politics of partnership
Both governments pitched wins: London highlighted the promise of expanded exports and jobs at home; New Delhi framed the partnership as necessary to its economic ambitions and strategic autonomy. The visit produced claims about rising trade and potential new investment flows, but converting headline contracts into sustained growth will require painstaking regulatory work, timely approvals and the resolution of sectoral frictions—from standards alignment to public procurement rules. The CETA sets the framework, but its dividends will depend on implementation timelines and private-sector appetite to invest at scale across sectors such as critical minerals, green tech and advanced manufacturing.
A balancing act on geopolitics
Starmer’s visit did not ignore geopolitics. Alongside business and defence cooperation, the two leaders addressed global security issues and regional stability, signalling that the relationship now straddles commercial, security and diplomatic realms. For Britain, the deepening of defence ties and technology collaboration is part of a broader strategy to link security objectives with industrial policy; for India, the partnerships offer access to Western technology and markets while reinforcing its “strategic autonomy” through diversified partnerships. The result is a bilateral relationship that is more complex—and more consequential—than in previous decades.
What to watch next
The immediate barometer of success will be how quickly the CETA’s promised tariff and regulatory changes translate into greater market access and visible investment. Watch for rapid follow-through on the defence co-production talks, the opening of academic campuses and research hubs announced during the visit, and the pilots in fintech and digital services that could be scaled. Equally important will be the administrative and legislative steps both London and New Delhi take to translate bilateral treaty language into operational frameworks that companies can rely on. The visit was a momentum-builder—now comes the hard work of delivery.
Keir Starmer’s Mumbai visit offered the architecture of a new, multi-dimensional partnership: trade liberalisation at its core, but bolstered by defence ties, educational linkages and cultural exchange. The test for both capitals will be whether the headlines from Mumbai become enduring channels of commerce, innovation and strategic cooperation—or simply episodic announcements. As the two countries start to operationalise what was agreed, the next 12 months will show if this visit was indeed a launchpad or merely a photo opportunity.
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