Andy Burnham will remain 'bullish' on India if he becomes UK PM, says Harjinder Kang

Britain's next prime minister is expected to continue strengthening ties with India, according to Harjinder Kang, the UK's Trade Commissioner for South Asia and former chief negotiator of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Speaking with news agency ANI, Kang expressed confidence that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has emerged as the frontrunner to become the UK's next prime minister, would maintain a positive approach towards India and further expand bilateral economic cooperation.

Burnham expected to back stronger India ties

Kang said he had recently discussed India-UK relations with Burnham, who had been planning a trade mission to India later this year as Mayor of Greater Manchester.

When asked whether Burnham would continue to support closer ties with India if he becomes prime minister, Kang replied: "I am actually going to put my neck out and say yes, he will remain bullish."

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"He was very keen on the Greater Manchester area and the relationship with India that he wanted to build, and he was going to come on a mission himself. So let's see what happens in the future," he added.

India remains a key partner for the UK

Kang said the UK's approach towards India has remained consistent across successive governments and is unlikely to change with a new leader.

"I strongly suspect he will be in the same frame of mind that all his predecessors have been, whether it’s Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak," Kang noted.

"They are all very much thinking: why would you not want to have a positive political and trading relationship with the fastest-growing economy, which is going to be the third-largest superpower in the next five years or so? Why would you not want to do that?" he added.

Shared ties strengthen partnership

Kang said the India-UK relationship is underpinned by deep historical, cultural and institutional links that distinguish it from Britain's ties with many other countries.

He pointed to common legal traditions, language, sporting links, cultural connections and the large Indian diaspora in the UK as key strengths.

"If you ever look at what the UK and India have in common, and then compare what Germany, France, Japan, even the US has in common, there is no one else like us," Kang explained.

FTA not influenced by US tariffs

Kang also rejected suggestions that the UK-India Free Trade Agreement was accelerated because of changes in US trade policy.

Responding to questions about whether US tariffs had influenced negotiations, he said the agreement followed its own timetable.

"There was no additional pressure on both economies because of what the US was doing," Kang asserted.

:"This was simply the natural progression of the negotiations that were going to happen regardless. It reached a point where both political systems agreed that this was it; there wasn't much more either side could gain," he added.

The UK and India recently concluded negotiations on their landmark Free Trade Agreement, which aims to expand bilateral trade and improve market access for businesses in both countries.

The agreement is expected to boost trade, reduce tariffs across a range of sectors and deepen cooperation between the two economies, with both governments viewing it as a key pillar of their long-term strategic partnership.