Prime Minister David Cameron calls two-day visit from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi an “historic opportunity”
Prime Minister David Cameron has called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first official visit to the UK today an “historic opportunity” for the relationship between Britain and India, signalling billions of pounds of deals and other financial partnerships.
Modi is in Britain for a two-day visit which will today include one-on-one talks with Cameron at Downing Street, a formal address to parliament, and a speech to City figures at Guildhall. Tomorrow, Modi will attend a rally for tens of thousands of Indian expatriates at Wembley Stadium.
But Cameron said ahead of the visit that talks and announcements today and tomorrow will “focus on building a relationship of shared prosperity”, between Britain and India, with proposals including plans for the UK to become a centre of offshore rupee bonds and a partnership to develop “smart cities” in India supported by British expertise and services. The government is also expected to announce a programme for British experts to advise Indian authorities on attracting private sector infrastructure investment.
“This isn’t just a historic visit; it’s a historic opportunity. It’s an opportunity for two countries, tied by history, people and values, to work together to overcome the biggest challenges of our age,” Cameron said.
While the government has not put an official figure on the value of expected trade and investment deals, Linklaters, the global law firm, estimates a total $15bn (£9.9bn) of agreements will be signed over the next two days.