India-UK free trade deal stuck on free access to skilled workers

Any failure to conclude a trade accord with Britain will be a missed opportunity for India, a nation upon which many economies are pinning their hopes amid intensified geopolitical struggles

India’s reputation as one of the world’s toughest trade negotiators is becoming more than an inconvenience for UK Prime Minister Liz Truss.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to prioritize rapid “early harvest” trade agreements in 2021, India has signed just two new deals -- one with United Arab Emirates and another with Australia. Now prospects for a much-touted pact with the UK look to be getting bogged down.

For Truss, India’s stance may force her to offer concessions because the pressure to strike big trade deals is already high. Failure will provide another blow to her post-Brexit vision that the