and cut taxes on India's clothing and footwear exports. The British government said the "landmark" agreement, which took three years to reach, did not include any change in immigration policy, including towards Indian students studying in the UK.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the deal would boost the economy and "deliver for British people and business". Last year, trade between the UK and India totalled £42.6bn and was already forecast to grow, but the government said the deal would boost that trade by an additional £25.5bn a year by 2040.

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, described the agreement as an historic milestone that was "ambitious and mutually beneficial". The pact would help "catalyse trade, investment, growth, job creation, and innovation in both our economies", he said in a post on social media platform X. Once it comes into force, which could take up to a year, UK consumers are likely to benefit from the reduction in tariffs on goods coming into the country from India, the Department for Business and Trade said. (BBC)