London [UK], May 7 (ANI): UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Tuesday said that the landmark trade agreement between the United Kingdom and India marks a new era of bilateral cooperation, highlighting the economic and strategic importance of the deal.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Lammy stated, 'I visited India in my first weeks as Foreign Secretary to drive growth with one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Today, with Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Department of Business and Trade, we've delivered a landmark trade deal. This is just the start of supercharging our GBP 43 billion trading relationship.'

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Reflecting on his early outreach, Lammy added, 'Rewind to when I became Foreign Secretary. I visited India in my first weeks in office. In March, I invited Minister Jaishankar to be my first guest at Chevening. And now today, we've made history together. Our landmark trade deal with India is a gateway to prosperity for both nations.' He emphasised the scale of the economic opportunity, noting that the 'GBP 43 billion trading partnership opens doors for British businesses, from Scottish distilleries, to Welsh manufacturers, connecting them to 1 billion Indian consumers.' Lammy also highlighted the depth of the investment ties between the two countries, stating that the relationship 'already supports 600,000 jobs across both economies.' Looking to the future, he added, 'This is just the floor, not the ceiling of our ambitions together.'

The announcement comes after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the finalisation of the trade deal as a major achievement. Starmer called it a 'landmark deal with far-reaching economic implications,' stating that it would benefit 'British businesses, workers, and consumers' while aligning with his government's 'Plan for Change.'

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Starmer also contrasted the deal's successful conclusion with the record of the previous government. 'The Tories talked up a trade deal with India for eight years, but never delivered. My Labour government rolled up our sleeves and got the job done in 10 months. We are delivering for working people.'

Calling it the UK's biggest post-Brexit deal and India's most ambitious to date, Starmer said the agreement would be 'measured in billions of pounds into our economy and jobs across the whole of the United Kingdom.' (ANI)