Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Wednesday, 08 October 2025
Scotch whisky, Bollywood and football marked United Kingdom PM Keir Starmer’s engagements in Mumbai on Wednesday, ahead of his meeting with PM Narendra Modi to advance trade, fintech collaboration and cultural ties between the two nations.
Whisky: “big winner" of the India-UK FTA
Downing Street called whisky producers a "big winner" of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), expected to boost the Scottish economy by £190 million a year.
Scotch Whisky Association members are part of Starmer's trade mission, which aims to capitalise on an estimated £1 billion annual sales potential in India and generate over 1,000 new UK jobs.
Starmer's government hopes the FTA - formally known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) - will be ratified by the British Parliament next year. It is expected to cut Indian import tariffs on Scotch whisky and open up one of the world's largest whisky markets.
"Delivering liberalised tariffs on all our exports to India will open up access to the world's largest whisky market in the years to come and give greater choice to Indian consumers," said Mark Kent, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association.
Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle and investment minister Lord Jason Stockwood have accompanied Starmer on this visit, with UK officials estimating that the CETA could raise bilateral trade by £25.5 billion and UK GDP by £4.8 billion in the long run.
Earlier, The Telegraph Online had reported that scotch, cars and visas remained the key impediments to an India-UK trade deal.
Bollywood meet
In the afternoon, Starmer visited Yash Raj Films (YRF) Studios in Andheri, Mumbai.
The UK PM was accompanied by stalwarts from the British film industry, including representatives from the British Film Institute, British Film Commission, Pinewood Studios, Elstree Studios and Civic Studios.
The PM met YRF CEO Akshaye Widhwani, actor Rani Mukerji, and leading Indian producers including Dinesh Vijan, Ritesh Sidhwani, and Apoorva Mehta. The meeting, which lasted about 30 to 40 minutes, focused on building partnerships between the British and Indian film industries.
"Bollywood is back in Britain, and it is bringing jobs, investment and opportunity, all while showcasing the UK as a world-class destination for global filmmaking," Starmer said.
"This is exactly the kind of partnership our trade deal with India is destined to unlock, driving growth, strengthening cultural ties and delivering for communities across the country."
YRF CEO Widhwani said the studio was "honoured" to host Starmer.
"The UK holds a very special place in our hearts and some of our most iconic films, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, were shot in this beautiful and incredibly hospitable country," he said.
Yash Raj Films also announced plans to bring major productions to UK locations from early 2026, strengthening an already deep cinematic connection that dates back to classic films shot in London and Scotland.
As per a report by Variety, the three YRF projects are expected to create over 3,000 jobs and elevate the British economy by millions of pounds.
Football-diplomacy
Starmer also joined an event organised by the English Premier League at Mumbai's Cooperage Ground.
The UK PM interacted with local players and coaches, with former England international Michael Owen.
On Thursday, Starmer will meet Modi in Mumbai to further discuss trade implementation, fintech collaboration, and regional stability. He and Modi will jointly attend the CEO Forum and the sixth edition of the Global Fintech Fest,
Starmer flew in from London on Wednesday along with a business delegation and was received at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and Governor Acharya Devvrat.
