British trade minister to hold talks with Indian counterpart on trip

British trade minister Kemi Badenoch will hold talks with her Indian counterpart this week in New Delhi, her office said on Thursday, but an agreement on
trade is unlikely to be struck as further negotiations are scheduled for later in the year.
Talks over a future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have made progress in recent months, British and Indian sources have said, fuelling hopes a deal could be reached this year.
But British government sources played down expectations that a deal would be done by a G20 meeting in the Indian city of Jaipur this week, with further FTA talks expected in September, after Badenoch’s visit.
“There is a great deal to be done with India, but what happens in the negotiating room will govern the timeline,” a government source said.
“We’ve made progress but talks are focused on complex and technical areas including goods, services, and investment.”