While still prime minister, Sunak failed to land a trade deal with India ahead of the summer election, despite ministers and officials saying Modi’s government was keen to put pen to paper. He refused to make concessions in sensitive areas like social security and visas, instead pushing for a broader, deeper deal.
But now the former British leader, who remains an MP, has been making amends ahead of Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds’ trip next week to officially begin talks.
Modi, reunited with Sunak, took to X to call him a “great friend of India,” who is “passionate about even stronger India-U.K. ties.”
Sunak, who visited Modi with his family — including his mother-in-law, Sudha Murthy, co-founder of Indian tech giant, Infosys — also met with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Jaishankar posted on X to say it was “nice to meet” Sunak, and he “appreciate[s] his constant support for strengthening relations.”
‘Complex’ talks ahead
A U.K. official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, was quick to stress that Sunak wasn’t working on the U.K. government’s behalf.
But they noted it was common for politicians and business leaders to use their personal networks to support and advocate for closer economic ties. They also highlighted that standard protocol would have been followed to support the former PM while traveling.
