A Free Trade Agreement for Lawyers?

It is perhaps typical of Keir Starmer’s luck at the moment that just as the UK signs a major free trade agreement (FTA) with India, that country looks to be in the nascent stages of a significant military conflict with neighbouring Pakistan.

Nevertheless, the deal is a major success that should be celebrated following years of negotiations by successive Conservative and Labour governments.

The FTA has been criticised in some quarters as selling out British workers on the issue of National Insurance while giving preference to Indian workers who come to the UK.

In general however, this is a win for British and Indian businesses as it makes trade easier between the two countries.

By official estimates, it is thought that trade will increase by more than £20 billion over the next decade.

As the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi put it on X, the agreement will help to “catalyse trade, investment, growth, job creation, and innovation in both our economies”.

However, there is one glaring omission from the FTA.