Change in British leadership would not impact India-UK relationship: MEA

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India said that the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not impact its relationship with the UK as both countries share a close multifaceted partnership.

“PM Modi and PM Johnson have enjoyed a very close friendship. UK is an important strategic partner and we have shared a multifaceted partnership and relationship, which India would like to continue as it is based on links at various levels between our people as well as various verticals as we discussed, as part of our partnership,” , the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

He said that the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is an internal development which India is closely watching but the relations between the two countries will not be impacted by the change in the country’s leadership.

Further, responding to a question about the impact of Boris Johnson’s resignation on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) deal between the two countries, Bagchi said that the negotiations between India and UK on FTA are going on and India hopes to sign the deal soon.

“There is some degree of optimism that it could be done soon. We are speculating if Boris Johnson’s resignation will impact the deal, but India hopes to carry forward the good momentum in the talks that are underway,” he added.

He said that there is no deadline to sign the deal but India looks forward to signing the deal by Diwali this year “We have not set the deadline, it is a commerce-led process. But it would be great if it could be done within the time,” Bagchi said in a response to a question about India’s stand on meeting the deadline to sign the deal by Diwali this year.

Meanwhile, following mass resignations by Cabinet members which started on Wednesday and on Thursday number of resignations raised over 50 which compelled Boris Johnson to step down as British Prime Minister.

He expressed his ‘regret’ at his inability to hold onto his position as Prime Minister while stressing that he is ‘immensely proud’ of his achievements in office.

A total of 58 ministers quit the government following an ethics scandal which ultimately forced the UK premier to resign.

Johnson agreed to step down after one of his closest allies, Treasury Chief Nadhim Zahawi told the prime minister to resign for the good of the country.

Notably, India and the UK announced their intention to have a comprehensive free trade agreement during a virtual summit held in May 2021 between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his then British counterpart Boris Johnson. Formal negotiations on the proposed FTA between the two countries started early this year.

A number of non-tariff barriers, like rules related to investor protection, intellectual property rights, and harmonisation of governance and standards, are among the key sticky points in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that India and the United Kingdom target to sign by Diwali this year. (ANI)