A few days ago, at Chequers in Buckinghamshire, the United Kingdom and India signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a free trade agreement that took nearly three years and 14 rounds of negotiations to complete. At first glance, it may seem like just another bilateral deal, but it carries significance far beyond its text.
As someone who grew up listening to tales of diplomacy and sovereignty around the dinner table, I can say this much with certainty: The true strength of a nation is not just in its ability to defend borders, but also in its capacity to open them strategically, wisely and on its own terms. For India, this is not merely about reducing tariffs on mangoes or jewellery; it is about carving a foothold in one of the world’s most mature and premium markets. About 99 per cent of Indian goods will now enter the UK without customs duties. That includes everything from textiles to basmati rice, from gems to handmade shoes. For a weaver in Panipat or a jeweller in Jaipur, this FTA will turn the markets of London, Birmingham and Glasgow into viable channels of trade.
This FTA also facilitates smoother movement of skilled professionals from India to the UK, including chefs, yoga instructors, IT experts and even traditional musicians. In a world increasingly hungry for authenticity and meaning, India’s soft power, long admired and often informal, now finds a formal and structured corridor through which it can travel, influence and endure.
Imaging: Deni Lal
Bilateral trade between India and the UK, which stands at approximately $23 billion in goods and $33 billion in services, is projected to double by 2030 as a result of this FTA. For India’s MSMEs and export clusters, this opens a stable and scalable gateway into a high-value market. The hope is that with reduced costs and less bureaucratic friction, small and medium Indian enterprises, especially in the sectors that employ the largest number of people, will flourish. As these sectors expand their footprint abroad, the jobs they generate at home increase not just in volume but in dignity.
But, beyond the numbers, this agreement reflects India’s economic diplomacy maturing into a posture of strength. This growing confidence is an outcome of a decade of consistent, reform-driven governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has placed trade, trust and technology at the heart of India’s global engagement. We no longer enter the room to be heard; we arrive to be heeded, negotiating with clarity, coherence and an unmistakable confidence rooted in delivery. It is a treaty, yes, but it is also a signal. A signal to our artisans that their work matters, to our entrepreneurs that their ambitions are valid, to our global partners that India does not shy away from complexity, and to ourselves that growth and pride can walk hand in hand.
Sceptics, of course, will warn us to tread with care. There are concerns about a flood of foreign goods, small shops competing with imports, and policy blind spots. But, the FTA anticipates these challenges; phased tariff reductions and carefully crafted quota safeguards give domestic industries space and time to adapt and compete confidently.
With post-Brexit Britain reaching for renewed relevance and a new India rising with quiet confidence, there is a certain symmetry to this moment. A moment born not of history, but of possibility. And if, in the hushed alleys of Coventry or sunlit bylanes of Surat, a young entrepreneur begins to dream with more courage and less doubt, then this agreement has already found its purpose. For in the end, trade is not just about goods crossing borders, but about ambitions daring to cross thresholds.
Bansuri Swaraj is a Lok Sabha MP from New Delhi.