India-UK FTA: No Breakthrough Yet, Talks Stuck On Few Key Issues

The free trade agreement negotiations between India and the UK have not been closed yet, as certain sticky issues remain unresolved, according to sources.

While both sides were prepping to announce the closure of talks on April 29 and then May 2 in London, in Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's presence, differences cropped up.

Discussions around the sunset clause in the bilateral investment agreement, the UK's carbon tax and data localisation currently remain and will be talked about further, possibly in newer rounds.

The UK trade deal is comprehensive and being negotiated under three pacts – the FTA, bilateral investment treaty (BIT), and social security pact, which is officially called the Double Contribution Convention Agreement.

Goyal concluded his two-day visit to London and held meetings with his counterpart Jonathan Reynolds on April 29. He then visited Oslo and Brussels before returning to London on May 2. He has since returned to New Delhi.

India-UK talks resumed after a gap of over eight months. So far, 14 rounds of talks have been completed which were launched on Jan.13, 2022.