Minister Kemi Badenoch risks infuriating India by refusing to discuss demands for more student visas as she pushes for free trade deal on visit to Delhi
- The issue of visas has been at the centre of a row between India and the UK
- Delhi was infuriated by comments by Home Secretary Suella Braverman
- She said said the largest group of people who overstay visas are Indians
- Ms Badenoch insisted that talks about student visas were not her job
Kemi Badenoch has risked inflaming a row with India over student visas as she arrived in Delhi to try to revive talks over a free trade deal.
The issue of visas has been at the centre of a row between Rishi Sunak’s government and that of Narendra Modi that saw a deadline set for Diwali in October missed.
Delhi was infuriated by comments by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, when she said the largest group of people who overstay visa requirements in the UK are Indian migrants.
Mr Sunak met his Indian counterpart at the G20 summit in Bali in November, where the pair discussed hopes for a free trade deal.
But speaking on her arrival in Delhi, Ms Badenoch insisted that talks about student visas were not her job and would not form part of discussions. She will only discuss time-limited visas for skilled workers.
‘Student visas are a separate Home Office responsibility, so they wouldn’t come into a free trade agreement,’ she told the Telegraph
‘Often FTAs get dragged into things that aren’t to do with trade… Making sure we don’t let business talks turn into Home Office talks is very key for me.’
Speaking on her arrival in Delhi, Ms Badenoch insisted that talks about student visas were not her job and would not form part of discussions
The issue of visas has been at the centre of a row between Rishi Sunak’s government and that of Narendra Modi that saw a deadline set for Diwali in October missed.
Delhi was infuriated by comments by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, when she said the largest group of people who overstay visa requirements in the UK are Indian migrants.
At last month’s G20 in Bali Mr Sunak agreed a reciprocal UK-India migration pact that will begin early next year and allow up to 3,000 degree-educated Indian students aged 18 to 30 to stay for up to two years. But Delhi is said to want this number expanded.
In October, Mrs Braverman told The Spectator: ‘I have concerns about having an open borders migration policy with India.’
She acknowledged ‘there may be flexibility for students and entrepreneurs’ but went on: ‘I do have some reservations. Look at migration in this country – the largest group of people who overstay are Indian migrants.’
The negotiations, which are expected to focus on a deal to cut tariffs and open opportunities for UK financial and legal services, are the first formal round of talks since July.
The International Trade Secretary, who told MPs last month that she wanted to move away from her department being seen as the ‘department for free trade agreement’, flew to New Delhi for the sixth round of talks, where she will meet her counterpart, Indian minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal, in person for the first time.
The visit will also include meetings with business leaders and UK companies.
‘Both nations have come to the table with the very highest of ambitions and a willingness to work together towards a mutually beneficial deal. I’m excited about the opportunities we can create for British business.’
Previous post-Brexit free trade agreements have come under scrutiny after former environment secretary George Eustice claimed that the Australian agreement ‘was not actually a very good deal’ as the UK ‘gave away far too much for far too little in return’.
Mr Eustice also criticised the approach adopted by then-trade secretary Liz Truss in pursuing the deals, prompting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to promise not to ‘sacrifice quality for speed when it comes to trade deals’.
The visit by Ms Badenoch comes as Pret A Manger, Revolut and financial tech company Tide all plan to expand to India.
She also told the paper that Mr Sunak had prompted a ‘lot of warm feelings’ in India.
Mr Sunak was born in Hampshire, south-east England, to Indian migrant parents – a pharmacist mother and a GP father – and is married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of Indian IT giant Infosys’s founder NR Narayana Murthy, with whom he has two young daughters Krishna and Anoushka.
Ms Badenoch said: ‘I think that obviously there’s a lot of warm feelings towards him from India because he is somebody of Indian heritage.
‘That’s not relevant to the deal specifically, but it all helps in terms of having good relationships between countries.’
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