New Delhi, June 4: British deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will be travelling to India in end-June, in what appears a clear signal that the UK would like to maintain the same level of engagement with Manmohan Singh’s government as it did with Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s.

Prescott will be coming as British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s “special envoy” and will be the first senior leader from the West to come to Delhi for talks with the new regime. So far, the visits have mostly been from neighbouring countries.

Scheduled to be here on June 25-26, Prescott will meet all key players in the government, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The visit, however, appears to have raised a protocol problem. The government has not yet decided who will host Prescott as it does not have a deputy Prime Minister. Deputing a senior minister on the job could spawn complications and raise questions about the pecking order in Singh’s team.

Prescott last visited India officially in July 2001, at which time too there was no deputy Prime Minister. The foreign minister had hosted him then. He came again in September 2002 for an awards function. Sources said foreign minister Natwar Singh would be asked to host Prescott. “There is no need to treat him as a deputy Prime Minister as he is coming here basically as the British Prime Minister’s special envoy,” a South Block official said.

Prescott’s visit assumes significance as it gives London and Delhi the chance to renew contacts. It is also a signal that Britain is keen on keeping up the momentum in bilateral relations maintained with the Vajpayee government.

India’s relations with Britain have gone through several ups and downs. Ties had become severely strained after India conducted its nuclear tests in May 1998. In protest, London had recalled its high commissioner David Gorebooth from Delhi.

Relations began improving after London offered India the olive branch — Delhi had begun a serious engagement with the US by then — deputing Rob Young as the new high commissioner. Subsequently, bilateral ties reached a level where key players of both governments visited each other’s country frequently.

The countries also maintained relations on trade, defence, science and technology and culture. Foreign minister Jack Straw and interior minister David Blunkett visited Delhi early this year.

Singh in Nepal

Singh arrived in Kathmandu on a two-day visit to Nepal today, his first trip abroad after assuming office.

“The first priority of our foreign policy is further improving and strengthening our relations with our neighbours,” Singh told reporters at the Tribhuvan International Airport where he was received by Nepalese foreign secretary Madhuraman Acharya and other top officials.

“It is no coincidence that Nepal is the first country I am visiting after assuming office. It reflects the importance we attach to Nepal and our desire to consolidate and further develop our already wide-ranging ties,” said Singh, who would be holding talks with King Gyanendra, newly-appointed Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other top officials. Deuba, who took oath of office yesterday, is yet to name his council of ministers.

Singh extended India’s full support to Nepal, which is battling Maoist insurgency since 1996, in its endeavour to “overcome challenges confronting the country”.