London, Jun 22 (PTI) Keir Starmer, as British Prime Minister, not only oversaw the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India but leaves bilateral relations on a solid footing for his successor to build on, British Indian experts said on Monday.

Starmer’s resignation sets the clock ticking for the Labour Party to elect its new leader, with newly elected member of Parliament Andy Burnham looking set to take charge at 10 Downing Street in the coming weeks.

“When it comes to India, it is under his prime ministership that the UK-India Free Trade Agreement was signed, something that we started negotiating way back in January 2022,” said Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer and co-chair of the India All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

“India is very, very important to him as a special relationship and a special country where the UK is concerned and always will be... Whoever the next leader of the Labour Party is, they will have India as a top priority, and they will see the future of the UK-India relationship between the fifth and sixth largest economies in the world and India, the fastest growing major economy in the world, as being paramount,” he said.

Bilimoria, chair and regional coordinator for Europe of the International Chamber of Commerce in the UK, praised Starmer as a “decent individual” who always listened when it came to the bilateral partnership.

“For nine years, I was saying to prime minister after prime minister, whether it was Boris Johnson, whether it was Rishi Sunak, take a big business delegation to India because it will make a huge impact. And none of them did it, but Keir Starmer listened, and in October last year we took a huge business delegation to Mumbai," he recalled.

Dr Kishore Jayaraman, Group CEO of UK India Business Council (UKIBC), described the developments as a "process of change" that countries experience.

“The government changed when the FTA was being negotiated. The greatness that Great Britain has shown is the fact that it transcends government; business comes before government,” said Jayaraman.

"This is a partnership that will continue for a very long time because it is based on principles, it's based on a win-win agreement, and it will continue to evolve, it will continue to scale up, and it will continue to deliver to the industry on both sides.

“The UKIBC is a trade council that catalyses business growth, and we will continue to support businesses in the UK and India and grow the corridor.” Uday Nagaraju, a tech entrepreneur and founder of AI Policy Labs who recently became one of the newest British Indian Labour peers in the House of Lords, echoed the views that Starmer “helped deliver a major step forward in UK-India relations” with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

“I think that our Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, leaves office with dignity and with a serious record. He restored Labour to government, put stability and economic credibility back at the centre of British politics,” said Lord Nagaraju.

“He promised before the 2024 general election that a Labour government under his premiership would reset the relationship with India, which he achieved. The credit for CETA goes to Keir and, of course, the Indian government as well," he said.

“I think the next Labour prime minister will and should build on that platform of growth, security, clean energy skills, tech, AI, and a deeper strategic partnership with India," he added.

Krish Raval, also one of the newer British Indian peers in the House of Lords and chair of the Labour Indians diaspora group, paid tribute to Starmer’s efforts to “accelerate” the UK’s position in the field of AI as well as his commitment to the Indian community.

“He is the Prime Minister who signed the Free Trade Agreement with India... he will be remembered for that and the massive contribution to our GDP,” said Lord Raval, who has worked closely with Starmer as Labour leader.

“In a world of fintech, unicorns, AI investing and venture capitalism, India is ahead of the curve. So, the relationship with India will endure... because there is a deep desire (in the UK) to connect with this wonderful English-speaking monolith that is going to be the third-largest economy in the world, if not more,” he said.

Virendra Sharma, a Labour Party veteran and one of the longest-serving British Indian MPs for the party from Ealing Southall until the last election, felt the “writing was on the wall” for Starmer after the party's disastrous local election performance last month. He called on the next prime minister to learn from Starmer’s tenure and “not repeat those mistakes”.

"I have seen changes within the Labour Party and other governments as well during my 55-year span as an MP. These things happen in politics,” said Sharma.

“I am one of those MPs of Indian origin who have always raised the importance of India and Britain, two democratic countries, coming together and taking the FTA forward. There will be no changes on that front.

“I'm confident that the new leader will make sure that the July 15 date (for FTA implementation) is honoured and taken forward,” he said.

Starmer’s resignation opens a leadership election process to run until mid-July, with prospective candidates expected to garner the support of at least 81 MPs to be able to join the contest. However, with Burnham emerging as a strong favourite with hundreds of Labour members behind his leadership bid, there is a strong likelihood of Starmer’s successor being in place well before the expected September timeline. PTI AK GRS AMS