The headlines will trumpet the spectacle: Donald Trump, a man who once called India 'the tariff king', jetting into New Delhi to shake hands with Narendra Modi. It’s a photo op designed to signal a thaw in trade relations, a chance for two strongmen to smile for the cameras. But for those of us watching from the kitchen tables of Lancashire and Yorkshire, the real question is not about the bonhomie between Washington and Delhi. It is about what this means for the British worker, the British exporter, the British family feeling the pinch at the checkout.
Yes, American trade with India is growing. Yes, Trump wants a deal. But let’s be clear: the UK remains India’s premier European partner. Our trade relationship is not just about numbers on a balance sheet; it is about history, about trust, about a shared language and a legal system that Indian businesses know and respect. The UK exported goods worth £8.4 billion to India last year, and services added another £6 billion. That’s not chump change. It’s jobs in places like Derby, where rail engineers are building new trains for Mumbai; in Nottingham, where pharmaceuticals are curing Indian patients; in Edinburgh, where financial consultants are setting up shop in Bangalore.
But here’s the rub: while Trump might offer Modi a flashy deal on defence or energy, the UK is quietly negotiating a free trade agreement that could transform lives. We are talking about cutting tariffs on Scotch whisky, which currently stand at 150 per cent. That’s a tax on a luxury good, but it’s also a tax on Scottish jobs. We are talking about easier visas for Indian students and skilled workers, a lifeline for our universities and the NHS. We are talking about British legal firms winning contracts that keep our law graduates employed.
And yet, the government in Westminster seems to lack the killer instinct. While Trump swaggers into town with a deal almost done, our negotiators are still dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. We cannot afford to be complacent. India is the world’s fifth largest economy, with a middle class the size of the entire European population. They want our services, our education, our expertise. But they have other options. The EU is circling, and Japan is already in. If we dawdle, we lose.
So here is my plea to the Prime Minister: don’t let the Trump-Modi summit steal your thunder. Use the visit as a spur, not a threat. Get the trade deal done. Protect the jobs that depend on it. And remember, it’s not just about big business. It’s about the small manufacturer in Birmingham who wants to export his car parts to Chennai. It’s about the nurse from Kerala who wants to work in Manchester. It’s about the price of a curry in Leeds, which relies on Indian spices.
The link with India is not just a line in a government report. It’s a bond forged over centuries, through empire and independence, through hardship and hope. Let’s not squander it. Because while Trump might come and go, the relationship between Britain and India is for the long haul. And it’s worth fighting for.
