U.K. PM-elect Liz Truss committed to 'sweet spot' of India ties

U.K. PM-elect Liz Truss committed herself to getting the India-U.K. FTA done, preferably by Diwali

Newly-elected Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister in waiting Liz Truss is among the senior British politicians known for championing deeper India-U.K. strategic and economic ties, describing them as a "sweet spot" of global trade dynamics.

After all, it was Ms. Truss as International Trade Secretary who signed off on the India-U.K. Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) for the Boris Johnson-led government in May last year, which marked the starting point of the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.

The 47-year-old senior Cabinet minister made visits to India and held virtual talks with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, during which she described the country as a “big, major opportunity”.

"I see the U.K. and India in a sweet spot of the trade dynamics that are building up," said Ms. Truss soon after signing the ETP.

"We are looking at a comprehensive trade agreement that covers everything, from financial services to legal services to digital and data, as well as goods and agriculture. We think there is strong possibility for us to get an early agreement, where we lower tariffs on both sides and start to see more goods flowing between our two countries," she said.

On her promotion as Foreign Secretary, Ms. Truss handed over the baton at the Department for International Trade (DIT) to Anne Marie-Trevelyan, who is widely expected to continue in her role as International Trade Secretary and take forward the U.K.-India FTA talks.

More recently on the campaign trail in her contest with former chancellor Rishi Sunak to be elected Tory leader, Ms. Truss reaffirmed that she remains “very, very committed” to strengthen bilateral ties at a hustings event of the party’s Conservative Friends of India (CFIN) diaspora group.