On 8th October, Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, along with 125 key British business and industry figures, travelled to India on a trade mission, building upon the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between the United Kingdom (UK) and India in July 2025. As well as this, the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 2025 (CSG2025) conducted Exercise KONKAN with the Indian Navy between 5th and 9th October, and a partnership including a £350 million defence deal was agreed by Britain and India on 9th October.
Despite these indicators of a strengthening bilateral relationship, however, UK-India relations are not as fully developed as those of Britain and its other Indo-Pacific allies and partners, such as Japan and Australia, for example. Currently, India has 2+2 defence and foreign dialogues at the ministerial level with the United States (US), Japan, Australia and Russia, but not with the UK. Thinking about the future direction of bilateral relations, for this week’s Big Ask, we asked five experts: What are the next steps for the UK-India strategic partnership?
Professor of Space Security at the Schriever and West Space Scholars Programme, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University
The recent development of UK-India relations signals a clear strategic shift – primarily through the ‘India-UK Vision 2035’, which is a positive sign. The next phase of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) should focus on institutionalised defence codevelopment and establishing a formal structure for both nations’ foreign ministers to meet. Otherwise, it remains ad hoc.
Progress on the bilateral FTA should solidify gains through ratification and early implementation, enabling small and medium-sized businesses to benefit from simplified trade, visas and investment procedures. One of the biggest obstacles for Indian companies operating in Britain, or considering a short-term visit, is the lengthy and complicated visa process, which is not updated to reflect current realities. Expanding higher education partnerships, mutual recognition of educational qualifications and targeted mobility programmes, such as the Indian Young Professionals Scheme, will deepen people-to-people ties.
In the security sector, a predictable pattern of Indo-Pacific engagement, supported by joint exercises and maritime domain awareness, can embed the partnership in a broader regional framework. Ultimately, success will depend on establishing measurable goals and visible outcomes for industry, academia and civil society across both nations.
The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not reflect the official guidance or position of the United States Government, the Department of Defence, the United States Air Force or the United States Space Force.
Deputy Director (Geopolitics), Council on Geostrategy
While the UK-India relationship has been experiencing a number of successes recently - such as the recently-announced Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), Exercise KONKAN and the Technology Security Initiative, there is still more that the two might accomplish – particularly in the fields of technological and military cooperation. The next steps for the relationship therefore include increasing bilateral defence institutions and discussing potential forums for multilateral technology cooperation:
In the first instance, the two nations might upgrade their current 2+2 foreign and defence meeting from its current working level to the ministerial level. They could also create space for closer working relations by signing a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to help enhance exchanges of military intelligence and formalise logistics arrangements through an acquisition, cross-servicing agreement to enable equipment servicing and refuelling.
In the second instance, Britain and India might consider adding to the current bilateral Technology Strategic Initiative via involvement in one or more of the other multilateral security groupings in which they work dual-use technologies. For example, the UK should take a leading role in inviting India to join some AUKUS Pillar II projects on a case-by-case basis in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) – where India has clear equities. India might also lead the push to include Britain in some Quad efforts, such as the Critical Minerals Initiative – where collective efforts pay better dividends.
Senior Lecturer, King’s India Institute, King’s College London
Over the last few years, UK-India relations have gone from strength to strength, and they are probably now the best they have been this century. This is a result of quiet and sustained diplomacy from both sides, as well as their responses to global developments – most notably Brexit, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, economic headwinds for Britain and the challenges posed by the rise of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for India. Both countries also have shared concerns posed by the uncertainties of the Trump administration.
Militarily, both countries have different strategic and operational priorities, with Britain understandably focused on Europe, and perhaps the Middle East, whereas India is focused on the broader South Asian region, the Indian Ocean and its Act East Policy. To an extent, this limits what both countries can achieve in terms of their defence relationship.
The UK-India relationship therefore needs a big idea and, to that end, the CETA offers much promise. In terms of the next steps, both countries could explore some form of defence industrial cooperation, with technology sharing and coproduction. If necessary, it may be worthwhile partnering with like-minded countries, such as Italy, Japan, Australia and others.
Alternatively, Britain and India could explore project-based cooperation in emerging technologies, including AI and quantum technologies. Lastly, there could be greater investment in knowledge partnerships between universities and the private sector.
Director, Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA)
The UK-India strategic partnership stands at a transformative juncture. The Prime Minister’s visit to Mumbai, the £350 million Thales missile agreement and the expanded Exercise KONKAN have consolidated defence cooperation as the core of this relationship.
The immediate next step is the swift ratification and operationalisation of the CETA, envisioned as the launchpad for a new phase of investment, codevelopment and technology exchange.
Under the Defence Industrial Roadmap, the shift from procurement to joint design and production – particularly in maritime electric propulsion and lightweight missile systems – will deepen industrial interdependence and strategic trust. Beyond defence, the operationalisation of Vision 2035 should translate into visible outcomes in semiconductors, AI and critical minerals, aligning innovation ecosystems and supply chain resilience.
Expanding university-industry linkages, especially in green finance and digital infrastructure, will anchor long-term collaboration. Multilaterally, both nations should advance coordination on United Nations (UN) reform, climate adaptation and maritime governance within India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative framework.
Sustained political will and institutional continuity are essential for transforming this revitalised partnership into a durable Indo-Pacific alliance; one grounded not in postcolonial sentiment, but in pragmatic convergence of security, technology and economic priorities.
Head of Partnerships and Government Relations, Global Access to Talent from India (GATI) Foundation
The UK–India strategic partnership has entered a decisive phase following developments in 2025. Both nations now aim to translate intent into impact through the Vision 2035 roadmap, centred on trade, technology and talent mobility.
Europe’s demographic decline is fast becoming an economic threat. The European Union (EU) could lose 18 million workers by 2050, while Germany alone projects a shortage of 768,000 skilled professionals by 2028. With the world’s youngest workforce, India can help fill this gap – particularly in healthcare, Information Technology (IT) and engineering – if supported by enabling mobility frameworks.
The CETA provides such a platform. It removes caps on professional categories, waives the Economic Needs Test, and advances mutual recognition agreements for key qualifications. The Double Contribution Convention will further save Indian professionals and companies nearly US$500 million (£372 million) annually by eliminating dual social security payments.
Beyond mobility, Britain and India are aligning in frontier areas such as AI, quantum computing, clean energy, and defence codevelopment. A £24 million Connectivity and Innovation Centre and the ten-year Defence Industrial Roadmap aim to anchor this collaboration.
To sustain momentum, both nations should fast track CETA’s ratification and finalise a bilateral investment treaty. Europe’s demographic imperative and India’s talent surplus make this partnership not just strategic but necessary – one which could redefine global labour flows and economic interdependence in the decades ahead.
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