Boris Johnson India visit highlights: UK PM hopes to clinch Indian free trade deal by year-end
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday arrived in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to begin his long-pending trip to India that was delayed due to the pandemic. Johnson is on a two-day visit to India during which he will focus on economic ties and the war in Ukraine. On day 1 of his India visit, the UK prime minister is expected to announce investments in science and technology collaborations in Gujarat. On Friday, he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and hold talks on economic, security and defence ties....Read More
The UK prime minister hopes to strike new economic deals between Britain and its huge former colony worth over £1 billion in areas including software engineering and health.
He also aims to coax India away from Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain, maintained that Britain wants to “provide alternative options for defense procurement and energy for India to diversify its supply chains away from Russia” without lecturing the government “on what course of action was best for them.”
Boris Johnson visits Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar | WATCH
Boris Johnson and Bhupendra Patel attend a programme at Gujarat Biotechnology University
Boris Johnson visits JCB factory in Gujarat
UK hopes to clinch Indian free trade deal by year-end, says Johnson
Britain hopes to complete a free trade deal with India by the end of this year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday as he emphasised the need to reduce reliance on foreign oil and gas due to the conflict in Ukraine.
"We're hoping to complete another free trade agreement with India by the end of the year, by the autumn," Reuters quoted Johnson as telling reporters in Gujarat.
'UK MPs' probe into Covid breaches should...': Boris Johnson in India
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is on a two-day India visit, said on Thursday that the UK police should be allowed to complete their investigation into the alleged Covid-19 lockdown breaches in government offices before Parliament launches its own investigation. Read more
Boris Johnson meets Adani Group's chief Gautam Adani in Ahmedabad
Boris Johnson's India visit to seal investment deals worth over £1 billion
Downing Street had announced it would seal two-way investment deals worth more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion), during Johnson's visit to India, creating almost 11,000 jobs in Britain. The visit will "deepen the strategic trade, defence and people-to-people ties between our two countries", the UK prime minister told parliament before flying out of London. Read full story
‘Such simple principles of truth and non-violence’: What Johnson wrote after visiting Sabarmati Ashram
“It is an immense privilege to come to the Ashram of this extraordinary man, and to understand how he mobilised such simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better," read the message by UK PM Boris Johnson at Gandhi Ashram, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad.
Johnson tries his hands on 'charkha'
UK PM visits Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad
Johnson visited Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram on Thursday morning. He was accompanied by the Gujarat chief minister and was presented with a copy of 'The Spirit's Pilgrimage' written by Madeleine Slade (or Mirabehn), who was a British supporter of Indian independence and a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.
Watch | UK PM Boris Johnson gets grand welcome on his arrival in Ahmedabad
Johnson to be gifted Gandhi's unpublished book ‘Guide to London’
'Guide to London', one of the first few books written by Mahatma Gandhi which never got published will also be gifted to UK PM Boris Johnson by Sabarmati ashram. Read more
UK PM welcomed with roadshow, Gujarati dance
Boris Johnson was welcomed with a grand roadshow and Gujarati dance along the four-km route from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport to his hotel on his arrival in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Autobiography of Mirabehn to be gifted to Johnson during visit to Sabarmati Ashram
'The Spirit's Pilgrimage' – the autobiography of Madeleine Slade or Mirabehn, who became the Mahatma Gandhi's disciple, will be gifted to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson by Sabarmati Ashram during his visit there.
'Partygate' apology
Johnson's visit (delayed because of Covid) comes after the prime minister issued a 'wholehearted' apology for attending an illegal party during the Covid-19 lockdown in his country. He said he did not knowingly break rules or mislead the British parliament, claiming 'it did not occur to me' that the gathering at his official residence in London was a party. Read full story
Talks on extradition of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi?
While there is nothing official scheduled, India may bring up the issue of the two wanted fugitives - Mallya and Nirav Modi, who owe thousands of crores to Indian banks. Both are in the UK pending extradition; Nirav Modi is in south-west London's Wandsworth Prison and Mallya is also in the UK. Both are contesting their extradition orders.
Day 1 agenda: Focus on science, health and technology
Johnson will spend day 1 in Gujarat, where he is expected to announce investments and new collaborations in science, health and technology. The UK has said this will be the first time a British prime minister has visited the sprawling coastal state famed for its spirit of entrepreneurship and the ancestral home to about half of the British-Indian population.
UK PM signals visa flexibility with India
Ahead of his visit, Johnson signalled he is ready to offer more visas to India in return for a free-trade deal after Britain's exit from the European Union, Reuters reported. "I have always been in favour of talented people coming to this country," the UK prime minister said. "We are short to the tune of hundreds of thousands of people in our economy. We need to have a progressive approach and we will."
Boris Johnson to hear India's stand on Ukraine conflict, not give lecture
The Ukraine crisis will figure in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s engagements during his two-day visit though the focus will be on keeping the Indo-Pacific free from coercion and giving a push to a bilateral free trade pact. Read more
Boris Johnson lands in Ahmedabad
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He is on a 2-day visit to India. He was welcomed by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel at Ahmedabad airport.
