Trump’s trade war has India hugging Britain close

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Later got here Rishi Sunak, significantly revered in India for changing into the primary prime minister of Indian descent to steer the previous colonial energy. Regardless of that, he by no means held a lot hope for putting a cope with the notoriously-difficult negotiators, and was booted out of workplace with out clinching an settlement.

Then got here Trump’s return. When the U.S. president swiftly made good on his threats to hit nations, each buddy and foe, with tariffs, it despatched world powers scrambling for different markets. Simply 5 months after Trump’s second inauguration, Modi dashed to Britain to ink a free commerce settlement that the British authorities argued would mark a multi-billion pound export increase for the U.Okay.

Trump has solely highlighted India's want for brand new buying and selling companions along with his imposition of steep tariffs on New Delhi over Modi's refusal to cease shopping for oil from Moscow. Journalists touring with Starmer to India pressed the British PM on whether or not he’d inform Modi to divest. He dodged the query.

<img decoding="async" width="1024" height="609" src="https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/09/GettyImages-2239559338-1024x609.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-7305537" srcset="https://www.politico.eu/cdn-cgi/image/width=1024,quality=80,onerror=redirect,format=auto/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/09/GettyImages-2239559338.jpg 1024w, https://www.politico.eu/cdn-cgi/image/width=300,quality=80,onerror=redirect,format=auto/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/09/GettyImages-2239559338.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"/> India spent years stringing London alongside over a free commerce deal coveted by a post-Brexit Britain. | Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Photos/LightRocket through Getty Photos

At a press convention after spending the day along with his Indian counterpart, Starmer answered two questions on the topic in solely probably the most opaque phrases. When the cameras stopped rolling, aides clarified that the pair had certainly mentioned Russian oil.

It is not the primary time Starmer has performed the worldwide pragmatist, whatever the ethical issues at stake.

Starmer held a landmark assembly with Chinese language President Xi Jinping final 12 months, and twice declined to sentence the jailing of dozens of pro-democracy figures in one other former British colony, Hong Kong, beneath authoritarian legal guidelines imposed by Beijing. The U.Okay. “mustn’t lose … the chance for our financial system,” Starmer stated, opting to not publicly rebuke Beijing over what's an affront to many in Britain.