Public sentiment towards the India-UK Free Trade Agreement is largely negative and skeptical. Many commenters express apprehensions about the potential detrimental effects on India's economy, increased immigration leading to job competition, and fears of cultural erosion. While a minority view the agreement as a beneficial step for bilateral relations, concerns about economic exploitation and negative ramifications for both nations dominate the discourse.

UK Government

India Government

Both Governments

How many thousands of work visas in an overcrowded jobs market?

Capital-Wolverine532

They are going to recognise Indian qualifications as equal to UK ones across services  sector. You’ll more likely see more offshoring to India due to that. 

Many here don’t realise even Software Engineers at local councils like Glasgow have been laid off and had their jobs offshored to India

Boring_Gas1397

Free trade deal with the notoriously protectionist India…?

John_Williams_1977

From reading the article it doesn’t mention anywhere that this deal will result in Indians being able to more easily come to the UK to work. Am I missing something ?

pyruvate011

Could be excellent for our dwindling export industries. Though I wonder if were able to get much in the way of improved access for services...

KellyKezzd

These trade-for-migration agreements are a disaster, they have been in Australia.

Trailblazer913

Heavens I remember drinking some absolute ass spirits in India. Send them the good stuff.   
Definitely not good stuff but from a shop like less than a pound. Let’s hope they make some nice bells a bit cheaper

dupeygoat

Obviously infinity Indians will solve our fiscal issues

Stoocpants

It will make Samsung flagship phones cheaper. 

Cool

Wondering_Electron

Why does Labour always follow policies that make it worse for working class people! I see loads of posts on spem Job reddits streams saying how low wages are already for IT workers - this is going to make it worse and keep wages low !

Stop supporting polices that make this worse for yourself !

Greg-Normal

Yummy, getting to compete with more people on the global market.

JLP99

I bet those Indian cleaning start up companies are itching at the bit. Pineapple cutie!

Crumpetlust

Snapshot of _UK and India agree 90% of free trade agreement_ :

An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&amp;url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/09/we-are-nearly-there-uk-and-india-agree-90-of-free-trade-agreement)  or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&amp;url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/09/we-are-nearly-there-uk-and-india-agree-90-of-free-trade-agreement)         


*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AutoModerator

[deleted]

"A government source told the Guardian that mobility, which involves visas for Indian workers and has been one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations, had largely been resolved."

This is the big sticking point. I hope the visa's will be kept to a minimum. But we'll see.

Rat-king27

Let me guess, our "negotiators" will have been walked all over and will have caved into nearly every demand, but will have secured a single "win" such as India eliminating tariffs for cheddar cheese or something else they don't actually import from us

I’m a CS graduate next year and my god I am not looking forward to the next 10 years. What’s even the point

P1SSW1ZARD

I hope this won't mean the UK will soon be flooded and outcompeted by immigrants.

Morteca

&gt; A government source told the Guardian that mobility, which involves visas for Indian workers and has been one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations, had largely been resolved.

Fuck sake, do they want Reform or worse?

madeleineann

If the government allows a significant influx of Indian immigrants into the UK, it risks pushing the country toward the extreme far right-beyond figures like Nigel Farage, toward a more radical faction. If those in power cannot negotiate a deal without compromising on such a critical issue, they lack the competence and legitimacy to hold their positions. The UK is plagued by inept politicians and civil servants, utterly incapable and appointed on misguided or superficial grounds.

FluidLock1999

Oh oh...extra 200k visa a year from just 1 country. 

Cautious-Twist8888

Oh god not another 500k immigrants a year. We have enough Indian takeaways and deliveroo drivers.

Metori

This is what Brexit was really all about, businesses getting cheap labour from India as the Polish are richer than us now.

jib_reddit

I would rather starve and live in poverty than have a free trade agreement with India. Oh wait, I'm gonna get both.

Philluminati

&gt;A government source told the Guardian that mobility, which involves visas for Indian workers and has been one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations, had largely been resolved.

Translated: they caved in to their absurd demands like Australia did. Have a look at the mobility deal Australia has with India as a part of their trade deal and you'll see what's coming https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/out-of-kilter-indian-migrants-fuel-surge-as-labor-struggles-to-rein-in-numbers/news-story/b2495b48a8c78afcff09a6cd732ee5f6

There are already 150k Indians coming on work visas every year, the shopping/retail experience in places like London has become nightmarish over the last 4-5 years because of this. This better be an amazing deal economically or it will backfire massively

Tiberinvs

If immigration continues to increase, it'd show that the UK government doesn't care about the declining standard of living in Britain nor the housing crisis, and that we are simply expected to "accept a decision they know voters would be adamantly against".

fungussa

Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed!

Any_Perspective_577

Rachel.... Mate...  I could agree 95% of a deal before lunch.

  
I think you'll find the last 5% is what takes years to agree - and the fact that you've only set yourself at 90% is telling that you're nowhere near yet.

OwlNumber9

why are we cosying up to India?

They are Russian aligned and devalue our most valuable industries with cheap sub standard labour like coding

MazrimReddit

UK electorate agree to Reform being next government if this ends up increasing migration from India

WaterMittGas

I don't want our cities as densely populated as Mumbai, but it seems that's the way we're heading.

High-Tom-Titty

Great just want me need in the UK. Low skilled Indian immigrants in our country.

PoodleBoss

Given Labour negotiate by giving away the house...i'm not optimistic.

disordered-attic-2

On an unrelated note, we really should look at removing the vote from commonwealth citizens.

Choo_Choo_Bitches

IMO we shouldn't be that friendly with a country that happily buys up all the Russian oil to fund their war in Ukraine.

duckrollin

Look India, you’re a regional power with a modern military, nuclear weapons, a space program that has missions that had made it to mars. A high english literacy rate, aeguably a giant of tech and TATA controlling a lot of our steel and cars.

You should not be expecting more handouts from the UK, look after your citizens and welcome yourselves into the 21st century.

Iamthe0c3an2

Just in case the Tories try and spin this as “more immigrants on Labours watch” a lot of the proper work was done pre 2024. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-india-sign-ground-breaking-partnership-migration-deal

Izual_Rebirth

This is what referendums are for. And we need one here

MrFlaneur17

If the UK handwaves even more visas into the country, that alone will guarantee a Tory/Reform victory in 2029. It won't matter what improvements Labour make elsewhere in the economy. That's all people will care about.

Griffolion

First they came for our tradies, and I said, "Suka".

Then they came for our IT, and I said, "Kutiyā"

Then they came for me and I said, "Minimum wage already mate"

OutsideYaHouse

So no progress after 2 years and still stuck on difficult bits

JustAhobbyish

Who needs Europe when India is barely on the other side of the world?

schtickshift

Remember everyone, downplay any positive aspects of this and remember to talk down the UK and bring up Brexit as often as possible.

IgnoranceIsTheEnemy

So the easy part of the negotiations is complete?

Two4theworld

Anyone know what the biggest imports/exports are between the two?

ziplock9000

We all have to stick together in Europe, whether in the European Union or not.

For decades people have been trying to drive a wedge between us, the reason is simple China, India, the USA and Russia are afraid of us because they know that a united Europe is an unstoppable force!

And to all of you here who are firing against it, you are just confirmation of what was mentioned above.

MEGA "Make Europe Great Again" and then we can tear ourselves apart again in the old Tradition.

No-Vacation-7694

It seems British citizens are willing to accept almost anything, as long as it doesn’t involve immigrants from India. India, on the other hand, uses this sentiment as leverage to negotiate favorable deals for itself.

Southern-Reveal5111

ListenInitial1618

Sir pls sign FTA sir , we looted 64 trillion USD from you and want to do that again pls 🙏

510mm_Go_Bang_Bang

I hope India humiliates the UK and forces the UK to accept more immigrants from India as they deserve a share of UK's wealth for colonialism

Linkichief

I don't think it'll make a great deal of difference. I can't see the Indian market lapping up Qashqais, Jukes and Toyota Corollas.

Wealthy people in India who want Range Rovers, Aston Martins, Bentleys and Rolls Royces were likely buying them already anyway.

SteveGribbin

Land Rover cars cost almost double in India . It’s the wealthy Indians who are going to benefit from this . I think Tata corp who owns JLR played a major part in this deal . They have huge influence on British and Indian governments.

Fatkante

I believe the wording I've seen was something like "tariffs on high end electric vehicles will reduce to 10% up to a quota of 22,000 cars".

JLR are in the UK, are Indian owned, and have a number of incoming EVS. I think that they'll make up the vast majority of that quota.

itsamemarioscousin

Great, they'll buy our stuff, and we will take their economically inactive people. I'm sure it'll work out in the long run.

AdNorth70

Wish we had info on the visas "nearly resolved" doesn't fill me with confidence

Pheanturim

It seems like every faucet of activity includes higher and higher immigration to the UK, won't be long until all our school teachers are from the third world if this carries on

Double_Comedian_7676

More visas for Indian workers. 

Brexit dividend number one.

nellion91

Please don’t flood this country with Indian migrants. Please for the love of anything holy. For fucks sake. I just have a feeling that they are going to flood this country with migrants and their dependents. I can’t deal with this anymore. If this happens I will leave.

Savage-September

&gt; A government source told the Guardian that mobility, which involves visas for Indian workers and has been one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations, had largely been resolved.

Extremely concerning given India was demanding it be made easier for Indian immigrants to come to the UK and they wanted to be excluded from National Insurance contributions, which would make it cheaper to hire an Indian over a British worker.

GhostMotley

Have a look at what's happening in Canada if you want to see what awaits us.

Serious_Reply_5214

Knowing from Chagos what Starmer's government's negotiation style is, I can only assume it went thus:

"I want 200k visas per year!"

"No, I insist, you must take 300k!"

"I will not settle for less than- wait, what?"

"You're right, I'm sorry. 350k."

Veritanium

I was just thinking we could use several thousand more people per year here, our infrastructure has plenty of capacity and our youth unemployment is near nil

tszewski

I’ll see your terrible IT job market and raise you wage suppression and nepotism

The UK has taken around 250,000 Indians per year as part of the Boriswave of migration. Didn’t think that number could get any larger…

madjuks

The visas are apparently related to "business mobility" visas.   
[Only business mobility visas part of India-UK trade talks, House of Lords told - The Economic Times](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/only-business-mobility-visas-part-of-india-uk-trade-talks-house-of-lords-told/articleshow/118896960.cms?from=mdr)

Currently, these visas require a salary of more than £48,500 and have a sponsor. Not entirely sure what these deal entails with India though. [Senior or Specialist Worker visa (Global Business Mobility): Overview - GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/senior-specialist-worker-visa)

Sounds worryingly like Starmer caving in to foreign governments again, in this case on migration. Flooding our tech sector with Indians and pushing wages down is not good for anyone in this country.

Astriania

Just another backdoor mass immigration ‘agreement’. Come here and work for 6 months then claim asylum as India is ‘unsafe’. It’s a fucking joke

Main-Entrepreneur841

This will  erode the middle class and upper middle class **even more.** Indians are dam good doing any of those jobs.

If you work **any** comfy office job, be ready to be replaced because they are dam good at it. I was never a reform and co voter, but I'm never voting Labour again and it will go to whichever party puts an end to this. 

We're fucked.

IAmJustShadow

Great, so we are already off shoring loads of jobs to India. Now, we have to compete with them here and lower the wages in the process.

ShanTheMan1995

Farage and Co will be licking their lips over this, I can see the daily mail front page now - 

'Labour invite in 1.4 BILLION Migrants' 

This, the aftermath of Southport and the shitshow of the grooming gangs. Might as well hand over the keys to number 10 now because I dont see anyone but reform walking in the door.

You would have thought Labour had learned a lesson from the tory madness, oh well, might as well prepare for whatever shite is thrown at us next.

sisali

The other 10% is allowing free access for their hoards of people to enter the UK without visas

cornishpirate32

Finally, I'll be able to send all those delightful callers my iTunes giftcards all tarrif free!

Talkycoder

There's basically no benefit to us in having a free trade deal with India, so I'm interested in what we've conceded to get this through the door, as no doubt with the talk of visa relaxations, the cost will outweigh the benefit.

Crowf3ather

Every inch of the UK will be carved up and put up for sale to the highest foreign bidder. All this under the banner of sovereignty hahahaha. You have zero control left after Brexit over anything at all. We fucking told you so

Andries89

India still uses 2 men to operate a shovel, because the shovel is more expensive than the labour of 2 workers.

Good luck with competing with that on price.

Duanedoberman

This really doesn’t sound that beneficial to the UK on the face of it. 

128M in new trade agreements? It would be bigger news relatively if someone put a pound coin through my letter box.

SeaweedClean5087

because of AI a lot traditional IT jobs don't exist anymore. Does the British economy really need thousands of Indian nerds ?

narayan77

What is the upside to the UK on this deal? The last time I looked India was extremely protectionist , I don't see that changing, deal or no deal. I'd give this a pass really.

wage_zombie

On paper it looks good until there are two elderly in-laws and two elderly parents, a housewife and one man working in KFC, Co-op or Sainsbury’s local. You lot crack on though.

MeaningMean7181

Fuck sake Starmer and Co are so fucking useless. 

Clearly doesn't want a second term does he? Basically handing the next election to Reform on a silver platter.

Can't wait for increased wage suppression due to the job market being further flooded by Indians working for 15%+ less.

Remember brexiters: when you said we can make our own deals - in that negotiation would include more visas from countries you deemed less desirable.

dalehitchy

They produce almost nothing that we need. Why are we doing this?

yingguoren1988

The deal needs to involve repatriating Indians back home.

Bartellomio

All jokes aside, I hope there is at least a tiny bit of mandatory education required.

Culture and etiquette are very different between the uk and India and this doesn’t always result well.

vengarlof

We need to tread carefully here. Immigration does benefit both the host country and the migrants, and it might be racist to argue we should limit them, but as India develops more and more, they are an English speaking megapopuation who will work for pennies. The stereotype for indians being good at tech is already there. In a generation, they will be phasing out/replacing our services sector just like they have already taken most call centres. 

In the long run India is not an ally to the working class of Britain. They already are and will be moreso targeting and taking typical British service sector jobs just like they already have "taken" (more like got assigned) British/Western manufacturing.

RemarkableFormal4635

If I told you one of the main reasons the NHS and Home Office are drowning in delays and backlogs is down to dodgy, glitchy IT systems shipped in from India, no one’d believe me. Bit like the Boeing fiasco, yeah? Rubbish software that’s not fit for purpose is (indirectly) costing lives and people waiting too long for diagnoses, or getting missed altogether. 

But the government couldn’t care less, ‘cause it’s dirt cheap to outsource it over there. Now guess what? We’re about to fling the floodgates wide open (God help us). Remember that ‘Indians only’ job ad? Pure exploitation of PSW visa holders, that was.

britanian-dystopia

We will become a colony of India within 50 years if a free trade agreement makes visas easy for India. A country of 60 million opening its doors to a country of 1.4bn is insane. even if just 1% of India's wanted to come here, that's 14 million people.

MerciaForever

thats all we need to help the housing crisis... more immigration

Zealousideal_Fold_60

So how many millions must our tiny island accept now?

ProfileOk2226

Australia signed a free trade/migration agreement with India a few years ago, and China a few years before that, and the migration levels have been astronomical.  Housing has become a pipe dream, and everyone has to live in dog box apartments if they can find one.

When politicians unanimously agree that free trade agreements are the best thing since sliced bread, the general populace needs to start to get a lot more skeptical and pay a lot more attention to these agreements.

Jeez the racisim on reddit could fuel an nuclear power plant

Fragrant_State_3853

They give us all their workers to exploit and we give them what?

Appropriate_Car_3711

Prime Minister Modi's upcoming signing of a Free Trade Agreement with the UK aims to enhance economic relations and reduce tariffs.

India-UK Free Trade Agreement

Why This Matters

Public Sentiment Summary

Highlighted Comments

Parties Involved

What the people want