Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are meeting in Mumbai today to take the India United Kingdom partnership to a new level of depth and direction. This is Starmer’s first official visit to India since taking office and it marks the beginning of a renewed chapter in bilateral relations under the shared Vision 2035 roadmap for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The two day visit from October 8 to 9 will cover a wide range of issues including trade and investment technological cooperation defence and security clean energy health education and cultural exchange. A major focus of the talks will be on advancing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement which is expected to serve as the foundation of the new phase in India UK economic relations.
Both leaders will also address the Global Fintech Fest at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai. The event with the theme Empowering Finance for a Better World will focus on the integration of artificial intelligence innovation and financial inclusion in shaping the future of the global economy. The conference has drawn over one lakh participants from more than seventy countries including global regulators investors and innovators representing about seven thousand five hundred companies.
The United Kingdom has described this visit as its largest ever trade mission to India. It brings together business leaders and policymakers aiming to strengthen cooperation in digital technology and defence. Reports indicate that Indian companies have already announced new investments worth over one billion pounds in the United Kingdom as part of this partnership. While trade and technology will dominate the talks both governments have made it clear that visa related changes are not part of the trade agreement under discussion.
Prime Minister Starmer began his India visit with a cultural gesture that drew wide attention. He visited Mumbai’s Yash Raj Studios and met film actress Rani Mukherjee along with Yash Raj Films Chief Executive Akshaye Widhani. During this meeting Yash Raj Films announced that three major film projects will be shot in the United Kingdom from 2026 creating over three thousand jobs and giving a new dimension to India UK cultural collaboration.
Starmer has also expressed admiration for India’s digital identity system calling Aadhaar a remarkable achievement. He met Indian technology experts to understand its structure and potential as Britain explores developing its own secure digital identity model. His remarks on technology cooperation have been widely seen as a signal that the UK seeks to learn from India’s large scale digital transformation.
For India the visit reinforces its growing role as a global economic and technological power while for the United Kingdom it represents a deliberate shift toward deepening engagement in the Indo Pacific region after Brexit. Both nations are expected to outline long term goals in clean energy defence manufacturing and educational exchange programs aimed at training and innovation.
Diplomatic observers view this visit as a convergence of pragmatic interests rather than symbolic diplomacy. It shows that India and the United Kingdom are moving beyond historical perceptions toward a partnership built on mutual respect and shared opportunity. The outcome of the Mumbai meeting is expected to define a new era of cooperation in which both countries see each other as equal partners in progress.
