India and the United Kingdom are natural partners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday after meeting the visiting British prime minister, Keir Starmer, in Mumbai.
Mr Starmer was equally effusive in his praise for India’s growth story and the Indian prime minister’s leadership. But both leaders were silent when it came to referring to the points of tension that also underline the complex relationship their countries share — natural friends do not need to shy away from friction. To be clear, there is much to celebrate about the state of the India-UK relationship and its broad direction, which is forward-looking rather than being one that is rooted in the legacies of the past. The free trade agreement signed by the two nations earlier this year during Mr Modi’s London visit offers tangible economic benefits to both countries: by lowering entry barriers, trade is expected to increase, as are, potentially, investments. Mr Starmer came with the largest ever delegation of business leaders and university heads brought by a British prime minister to India, and on his two-day trip, he appeared keen to woo Indian investments and students. His office has said that Indian companies were investing $1.75 billion in Britain. Meanwhile, the two nations signed a $468 million deal for the Indian purchase of British missiles.
Mr Modi had gently touched upon some of the pressure points in the relationship during his visit to the UK in July. On this occasion, he focused almost entirely on the economic side of ties. Mr Starmer did the same. That the British prime minister chose to visit only Mumbai and not travel to India’s political capital, New Delhi, suggests this singular attention to trade and investment was by design. Prioritising economic relations can be good diplomacy. But ignoring the broader strategic elements of ties can leave a partnership fragile and vulnerable to hits from shifting geopolitical currents. There was not much emphasis on India's concerns over the continued presence of pro-Khalistan elements in the UK even though Mr Modi is said to have referred to the issue during his meeting with Mr Starmer. On the eve of his visit, Mr Starmer had publicly scotched any expectation that the UK might ease visa restrictions for Indian visitors at a time when he is under mounting pressure from the Opposition in Britain to tighten immigration rules. Perhaps the peculiar, economics-first nature of Mr Starmer’s trip was influenced in part by his sharply falling domestic popularity. From India’s perspective, perhaps it is worth investing in the British economy than it is to invest in ties with Mr Starmer himself.