UK Labour leader declares he has ‘reset party’s relationship with India’ – Times of India
LONDON: Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer emphasised the importance of “modern India” to a Labour government (should the party win the next general election) in a speech on Monday and declared: “This a changed Labour party”.
Labour has had a prickly relationship with India since Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as leader during which a motion on Kashmir unanimously passed at the 2019 Labour conference caused a major rift.
But speaking at the opening of India Global Forum’s fifth UK-India Week on Monday, Starmer said he hoped to visit India soon and was “resetting the relationship”.
“I accept that in the past Labour gave the impression we could only see the lives of communities who needed our support, but my Labour party understands that what working peoplewant in every community is success, aspiration and security — so we are increasing Indian representation at all levels in our party,” he said.
“There are lots of issues in the Labour party where over thelast two years we have taken a decision to change our party and look out to the world in a different way and to recognise what an important and powerful country India is,” Starmer said.
On his relationship with PM Modi, were he thefuture PM, he said it would be “a respectful, open relationship based on the future, not the past”.
Addressing an audience that included the Indian and British high commissioners and British Indian industry leaders, Starmer said of India: “I see a modern nation, a confident nation, a nation that knows that whilst there are profound changes in the world the opportunity is there for this to bean Indian century — with India shining as the world’s biggest democracy — a huge contributor to global growth and prosperity.”
“The challenge for Britain is to cast aside the entitlement of history and deepen our relationship with the real India, the modern India, the future India. We know that Indian food is the greatest in the world”, he said. “But this can’t be the basis of a serious and deep diplomatic relationship in the modern world. That is what my Labour government will seek with India — a relationship based on our shared values of democracy and aspiration that will see an FTA but also a new strategic partnership for global security, climate security and economic security.”
PM Modi’s recent trip to the US has refocused attention in Britain on India. “There are opportunities here as well — new technologies, new industries, new investments, where our interests clearly align,” Starmer said, citing AI, the clean energy boom, anddefence cooperation.
He praised British Indians for the contributions they make to the UK which, he said, include “running our country”.
Labour has had a prickly relationship with India since Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as leader during which a motion on Kashmir unanimously passed at the 2019 Labour conference caused a major rift.
But speaking at the opening of India Global Forum’s fifth UK-India Week on Monday, Starmer said he hoped to visit India soon and was “resetting the relationship”.
“I accept that in the past Labour gave the impression we could only see the lives of communities who needed our support, but my Labour party understands that what working peoplewant in every community is success, aspiration and security — so we are increasing Indian representation at all levels in our party,” he said.
“There are lots of issues in the Labour party where over thelast two years we have taken a decision to change our party and look out to the world in a different way and to recognise what an important and powerful country India is,” Starmer said.
On his relationship with PM Modi, were he thefuture PM, he said it would be “a respectful, open relationship based on the future, not the past”.
Addressing an audience that included the Indian and British high commissioners and British Indian industry leaders, Starmer said of India: “I see a modern nation, a confident nation, a nation that knows that whilst there are profound changes in the world the opportunity is there for this to bean Indian century — with India shining as the world’s biggest democracy — a huge contributor to global growth and prosperity.”
“The challenge for Britain is to cast aside the entitlement of history and deepen our relationship with the real India, the modern India, the future India. We know that Indian food is the greatest in the world”, he said. “But this can’t be the basis of a serious and deep diplomatic relationship in the modern world. That is what my Labour government will seek with India — a relationship based on our shared values of democracy and aspiration that will see an FTA but also a new strategic partnership for global security, climate security and economic security.”
PM Modi’s recent trip to the US has refocused attention in Britain on India. “There are opportunities here as well — new technologies, new industries, new investments, where our interests clearly align,” Starmer said, citing AI, the clean energy boom, anddefence cooperation.
He praised British Indians for the contributions they make to the UK which, he said, include “running our country”.
