He will also drive progress in negotiations on the landmark UK-India free trade agreement

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a raft of commercial agreements and hail a new era in the UK and India’s trade, investment and technology partnership, the British High Commission in India said before his arrival in Gujarat on Thursday for a two-day visit to India.

“As I arrive in India today, I see vast possibilities for what our two great nations can achieve together. From next-generation 5G telecoms and AI to new partnerships in health research and renewable energy – the UK and India are leading the world,” Johnson was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the British High Commission (BHC).

“Our powerhouse partnership is delivering jobs, growth and opportunities for our people, and it will only go from strength-to-strength in the coming years,” he added.

Prime Minister Johnson will use his visit to India to boost the collaboration with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, slashing trade barriers for UK businesses and driving jobs and growth at home, said the BHC statement.

UK and Indian businesses will confirm more than £1 billion in new investments and export deals today in areas from software engineering to health, creating almost 11,000 jobs across the UK, it informed.

The new investments and export deals would include, a new Switch Mobility electric bus R&D centre in the UK and the opening of their Asia Pacific Headquarters in Chennai, generating over 1000 jobs in the UK and in India, the BHC statement further said.

Commercial deals will also contain an investment from leading Indian manufacturer Bharat Forge and electric truck maker Tevva Motors to expand to a new site in the south-east and create 500 new jobs, it added.

Moreover, Indian software company Mastek will be investing £79mn to create 1600 jobs over the next three years all over the UK, the statement noted.

Business consultancy First Source will be opening new offices in South Wales, the Midlands and cities in the North-East and North-West, it mentioned.

Besides, Hertfordshire-based firm Smith & Nephew has agreed to a major export deal to sell robotic surgical systems in India, and Northamptonshire business Scott Bader opening a new resins factory to supply top renewable energy companies in south-east Asia, the BHC statement said.

The British Prime Minister will also welcome OneWeb signing a historic contract for satellite launches with New Space India Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation. OneWeb is an innovative UK-based satellite communications company, it further stated.

This agreement with India is a significant development for the company’s operations, the statement added.

On his visit to Gujarat, the UK Prime Minister will visit a new factory being opened by a top British firm in Gujarat, as well as a biotechnology university working in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh.

The BHC statement further said that the UK will confirm major new science and tech collaboration, including a Digital Health partnership and a joint investment fund for Indian deep-tech and AI start-ups, supported by the UK and Indian governments; new AI scholarships for Indian students jointly funded by the UK Government’s Chevening programme and India’s Adani Group; and a £6m investment from AI healthcare specialists Qure-ai to open a Centre of Excellence in the UK.

As he moves on to New Delhi on Friday, the Prime Minister will also use this week’s visit to drive progress in negotiations on the landmark UK-India free trade agreement, which is expected to help double trade and investment by 2030, it mentioned.

Negotiating teams will hold their third round of formal talks in India next week, the BHC statement added.

Work is already progressing on cutting red tape for businesses following the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership launched by both Prime Ministers last year, and today our governments will announce new measures to make it easier to export UK-made medical devices to India, it stated.

“This will support UK jobs and create opportunities for British med-tech companies like Redcar-based Micropore Technologies to sell their lifesaving products in India, an import market worth £2.4bn,” the BHC statement added.