During the visit, Starmer underscored the growing UK-India partnership, particularly in areas of technology, education, trade, and cultural exchange…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has reiterated his country’s strong support for India’s permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), saying New Delhi deserves its “rightful place” on the global decision-making body.
Following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Starmer underlined India’s growing influence on the world stage and its central role in shaping future global governance.
“We want to see India taking its rightful place in the UNSC,” Starmer stated, echoing sentiments previously expressed by global leaders including those from the US, Germany, France, and Japan — all of whom have voiced support for a more representative Security Council that includes India.
The Starmer’s remarks are part of a broader international push to reform the UNSC, making it more inclusive of emerging powers and better reflective of 21st-century geopolitics. Starmer’s stance also aligns with recent comments from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who last month called for greater representation from Asia, Africa, and Latin America in the global body.
During the visit, Starmer underscored the growing UK-India partnership, particularly in areas of technology, education, trade, and cultural exchange. He announced plans for a new agreement to produce Bollywood films in the UK, following his visit to a film studio, and celebrated the nations’ joint leadership in innovation. “The UK and India stand side-by-side as global leaders in tech and innovation,” he said.
Starmer also highlighted that he brought along the largest British trade delegation in a decade, underlining the economic significance of the visit. He described the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a vital component of deepening ties and signaled a renewed push to accelerate negotiations.
“This visit is about doubling down on our trade partnership,” Starmer noted, as both nations aim to boost cooperation across industries.
On the global stage, Starmer also welcomed the breakthrough in the Gaza Peace Plan, calling the announcement a “moment of profound relief” and pledging UK support for both its initial and future phases to ensure the plan’s complete implementation.
Starmer’s statements mark a significant moment in India-UK relations, signalling not only stronger bilateral ties but also growing Western consensus around India’s elevation to a permanent seat at the UNSC.
In October last year, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at a BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, highlighted the need for reforms in “established institutions and mechanisms,” specifically referring to the UN Security Council, to create “a more equitable global order.”
Starmer noted that India’s “growth story is remarkable” and said that he is convinced to see that India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a “track” to achieve the vision of a Visit Bharat by 2047.
“It is significant that we are meeting in Mumbai as India’s economic and financial capital, because India’s growth story is remarkable. I want to congratulate the PM on his leadership, aiming to be the world’s 3rd largest economy by 2028. Your vision of Viksit Bharat is to make it a completely developed country by 2047. Everything I have seen since I have been here is absolute proof to me that you are on track to succeed in that. We want to be partners on that journey”, said Starmer, who is on his first visit to India as UK Prime Minister.
Both leaders also held a bilateral meeting in Mumbai and issued a joint statement.
He also called the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement a “breakthrough moment.” He said, “…We are building something here, we are creating a new modern partnership focused on the future and availing the opportunities and we are doing it together. That is why we struck the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in July, a breakthrough moment – years in the making, slashing tariffs, increasing access to each other’s markets to drive growth and create jobs for our people and making life in both our nations. Beyond the words of the page of the Agreement, is the spirit of the confidence that it has given to our two great countries to work even more closely together, something which we have seen during the course of this visit here…”
He also underlined the efforts of India to bring an end to the Ukraine and the Gaza conflicts, and the India-UK relationship is working as a key supporter of global stability.
“In the current era of global uncertainty, the partnership between India and the UK continues to serve as an important pillar of global stability and economic progress.”
