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Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) is set for face-to-face talks with Narendra Modi on the second and final day of his trade mission to India. Vladimir Putin is likely to be on the agenda as the two prime ministers discuss the Indian leader's relationship with Russia and the long-term detention of a British citizen.
Starmer has so far declined to answer questions about Modi's close relationship with Putin and India's continued purchase of Russian fossil fuels during his Mumbai visit. Western nations backing Ukraine are attempting to tighten sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" of ships used to illicitly sell oil and gas.
Detention case takes centre stage
The family of Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton near Glasgow, are calling on the Prime Minister to take "decisive steps" to secure the 38-year-old's release in his talks with Modi. Starmer has insisted the Government is raising the detainee's case at "every level".
Johal was bundled into an unmarked car and arrested in November 2017 in India, just weeks after his wedding there. The British Sikh has claimed to be subject to torture, and his imprisonment was recognised by a UN panel as arbitrary detention in 2022.
He was acquitted earlier this year in a case where he was accused of financially supporting a terror group, but still remains in jail facing federal charges. His elder brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, urged the Government to reveal what it means when it tells the family it is raising the case with Indian authorities. "If it means more of the same, he will fail Jagtar like all the others. But I'm holding on to hope that it means decisive steps are being taken, behind the scenes, to bring my brother home," he said.
Trade mission delivers major deals
The trip has promoted the UK-India trade deal Starmer signed with Modi in July, worth £4.8 billion annually to the British economy. Some 7,000 jobs will be created in the UK as a result of Indian investment from newly struck trading arrangements, according to Downing Street.
Some 64 Indian companies, including in engineering, technology and the creative industries, have agreed deals worth £1.3 billion to Britain during the visit. New flights between London, Manchester and Indian cities were announced, while a Bollywood studio has agreed to produce three films in the UK from next year.
Warm welcome in Mumbai
Starmer has received a warm welcome in Mumbai, with 5,700 posters, banners and billboards bearing his face placed along the city's roads. Modi is understood to have told the Maharashtra state government to ensure Starmer feels welcome in India.
A senior UK official described it as "a real signal of modern India meeting modern Britain", adding: "And there is so much more potential. This is just the beginning."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
