India–United Kingdom relations
India–United Kingdom relations, also known as Indian–British relations or Indo–British relations, are the international relations between the Republic of India and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. India has a high commission in London and consulates-general in Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh and in Manchester. The United Kingdom has a high commission in New Delhi and six deputy high commissions in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Both countries are in the Commonwealth of Nations. The United Kingdom has an Indian diaspora of over 1.5 million.
History
Pre history and Early historical references
for 883 AD make reference to King Alfred of Wessex sending alms to St Thomas shrine in India.East India Company (1600–1857)
Trade was established between Tudor England and Mughal India in 1600 when Elizabeth I granted the newly formed East India Company a royal charter by sending precious gifts to the Mughal court of Emperor Akbar the Great. Sir Thomas Roe and Sir William Hawkins were both separately an envoy to the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, the latter at one point being given a mansabdar.During the 18th century, the East India Company began to gain greater influence in India. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 led to the conquest of Bengal while by 1857, following various treaties and wars with Indian kingdoms, the East India Company controlled most of the Indian subcontinent.
British Raj (1858–1947)
Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, where Indian sepoys rebelled against their British officers, the East India Company was dissolved the following year. The assets of the British East India Company became so huge that the British government decided to step in, seizing control of the territories and treaty arrangements of the Company. India served as the main base for the British Empire's expansion across Asia and would remain the empire's most important asset and main source of income as well as soldiers until independence. From a small trading outpost, India became an empire within an empire - the jewel in the British crown.The 1869 completion of the Suez Canal led to significantly faster transport between India and the United Kingdom. In 1876, the area, which included modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, became "the Indian Empire" with British Monarch Queen Victoria proclaimed as "Empress of India". The British Indian Army was established and assisted Britain in many wars, including the Anglo-Afghan Wars, the Anglo-Gurkha Wars, the Anglo-Burmese Wars, the First and Second Opium Wars, and both World Wars.
During the British Raj, India faced numerous devastating famines, notably the Great Famine of 1876–1878, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 6.1 to 10.39 million Indians, and the Indian famine of 1899–1900, causing an estimated 1.25 to 10 million fatalities.
The end of British rule
The Indian independence movement gained traction following the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Opposition to British rule increased, where the ideology of satyagraha or non-violence was taken to a height by Gandhi while on another hand, 'self defense' or armed revolution was embraced by Nationalists like by Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, eventually led to the dissolution of British Raj and Independence of India on 15 August 1947. However, the end of the Raj also resulted in the Partition of India which created two new entities, the Muslim-majority Dominion of Pakistan and the Hindu-majority Dominion of India. Both remained in the Commonwealth of Nations, maintaining informal ties to the former British Empire.Dominion of India (1947–1950)
, who as British Monarch had been "Emperor of India", abandoned this title in 1947, and served as India's ceremonial head of state as 'King of India'. In 1950 India became a republic and the link with the British crown was severed. However, India decided to stay in the Commonwealth; this allowed India to maintain contact with the Indian diaspora, much of which was by then dispersed among the former British colonies.The Dominion was part of the Sterling Area.
Republic of India (since 1950)
Since decolonisation, both Britain and India have pursued quite divergent diplomatic paths.In particular, India became a major force within the Non-Aligned Movement, which initially sought to avoid taking sides during the Cold War. This contrasted with Britain's position as a founding member of NATO, and key ally of the United States. The death of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 also saw the weakening of ties, as Nehru had once remarked himself to be "the last Englishman to rule India".
Between 1947 and 1997, UK and India relations were contentious. India's independent ‘non-aligned’ foreign policy and its close ties with the USSR during the Cold War, had irked Britain. Britain opposed the Indian take-over of Goa from the Portuguese and Sikkim from the Maharajah. It opposed India's nuclear tests and raised the dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir. On its part, India opposed the invasion of Egypt during the Suez Crisis and demanded that the Indian Ocean be declared a Zone of Peace.
Post-Cold War
The 1990s saw a sea change in the relationship. Britain's relationship with India is “primarily driven by economic considerations rather than political/normative considerations.” The disappearance of the USSR in the 1990s and the economic reforms carried out in India between 1991 and 1996, had cleared the way for better UK-India ties. India's domestic market and its finances to invest abroad had grown exponentially. British prime ministers began to make a beeline to India beginning with John Major's visit to Delhi in 1997. In 2006, UK's Business and Enterprise Committee aimed at establishing a relationship with India “as special as the one with the US.” Major predicted that “within 25 years India will have firmly established herself as one of the world's economic powers”.Being more eager to build economic relations with India than defend the BBC, then UK foreign minister James Cleverly said: “India is a hugely important partner to the UK and the deeper ties we are forging now, will help to grow the UK economy and boost industries for the future.” He went on to announce that the UK will appoint a ‘Tech Envoy’ to the Indo-Pacific, with a focus on India. Britain has a Tech Envoy for only one other country in the world – the US.
Former prime minister David Cameron described the relationship between the UK and India as "the New Special Relationship". After Brexit, EU nationals working in the health and social care sector were replaced by migrants from non-EU countries such as India. About 250,000 people came from India in 2023. In 2022, Rishi Sunak became the first British Asian to hold the office of prime minister, later also becoming the first British Asian to hold the office of leader of the opposition in 2024.
Through an FTA, the UK aims to double UK-India trade by 2030. Britain and India have already announced a scheme for young professionals, which will give 3,000 Indians and 3,000 Britons a pathway to live and work in each other's countries for up to two years. This partially addresses the Indian complaint that, while UK wants Indian trade and investment, it rejects Indian immigrants/expatriates.
In May 2025, the UK and India agreed a trade deal to make it cheaper and easier to buy and sell goods and services to one another. Incumbent prime minister Keir Starmer described this as the UK's best trade deal since Brexit. Starmer faced questions regarding India's continued purchase of Russian fossil fuels, stating that he respects India's "strategic independence."
Economy
is the second largest foreign investor in the UK. While UK ranks 18th as a trading partner of India and third after Mauritius and Singapore as an investor in India. There are many bilateral trade agreements between the two nations designed to strengthen ties. For example, in 2005, the Joint Economic and Trade Committee was inaugurated in New Delhi aimed at boosting two-way bilateral investments.The growth of India's multinational companies contributed greatly to UK's business and economy. As of 2019, Indian companies in the UK generated over 48 billion pounds. Also, they have employed more than 105,000 people in the UK. Tata Group alone employed over 63,760 people in the UK. This kind of phenomenon, where non-Western countries impact the West, has been commented on by sociologist Anthony Giddens as "reverse colonialism". At a dinner on 15 August 2017, held to mark 70 years of India's independence, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said: "We in the UK are the beneficiaries of reverse colonialism." Johnson said the Jaguar car made in Castle Bromwich and exported back to India "in ever growing numbers" incarnated the "commercial role reversal" between India and the UK.
The British government has chosen India as one of its most influential trade partners because it is one of the "fastest growing economies in the world." In 2013, Cameron formed the biggest trade delegation by accommodating more than 100 representatives that varied from multinational corporations, medium-to-small-sized corporations, and universities to India. Compared to the 2010 trade mission, the UK and India negotiated to double the trade volume by 2015. Following the trade delegation, total UK goods and services exports to India increased by 14% from January to September 2013. Between 6 and 8 November 2016, then British PM Theresa May visited India for a bilateral trip. The key topic of discussions would be May's plan for post-Brexit relations with India. Discussion on a possible free-trade agreement is also in the agenda. According to a MEA spokesperson, there is "substantial scope for further strengthening bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors, including science & technology, finance, trade & investment, and defense & security."
Following a meeting between Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond at the 9th UK-India economic and financial dialogue, Jaitley announced that the two countries had agreed to discuss a bilateral free trade agreement. However, Jaitley stated that a formal dialogue on the agreement would only begin post-Brexit.
In September 2017 the High Commission of India in the UK, with the support of the UK India Business Council, announced the Access India programme, a unique scheme set up to help many more UK SMEs export to India. Whilst many large UK companies have a presence in India, small and medium-sized British companies do not. India hopes that the Access to India programme will not only encourage British SMEs to export to India but also inspire them to manufacture in India fulfilling the aims of the Make in India initiative.
The UK and India have remained close bilaterally, historically and on an ever-expanding basis. In January 2022, the two countries opened negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement. The countries concluded negotiations for an agreement in principle on 6 May 2025.
In July 2025, India and the United Kingdom signed the India–United Kingdom Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to London. The deal aims to double bilateral trade to USD 120 billion by 2030 by eliminating tariffs on key goods such as Indian textiles and British automobiles and whisky. The agreement also covers services, innovation, government procurement, and intellectual property rights. Additionally, both countries concluded a Double Contribution Convention Agreement, easing social security obligations for Indian professionals in the UK. This marks a major step forward in strengthening economic and strategic ties between the two democracies. It is expected that the agreement will create 7000 jobs in the UK and increase the UK’s GDP by £4.8 billion annually.