David Cameron seeks ‘special relationship’ with India
Prime Minister David Cameron begins his tour of India promising to forge one of the “great partnerships of the 21st century”.
Mr Cameron said that Britain was “incredibly welcoming” to inward investment by Indian firms and was making it easier for Indian business people and students to come to the UK.
But he said the partnership must “go both ways” and called on Delhi to sweep away barriers to trade which he said were antiquated and were holding back development in the country.
Mr Cameron is in Mumbai to bang the drum for British business in what Downing Street says is the largest trade delegation taken on an overseas trip by a UK prime minister. Those represented include BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, and London Underground.
He said: “Britain wants to be your partner of choice. We’ve only just started on the sort of partnership that we could build. As far as I’m concerned, the sky is the limit.”
Addressing concerns over the recent toughening of UK visa rules, Mr Cameron told an audience there was no limit on the number of Indian students who could come to British universities, so long as they had an English language qualification and a place to study.
“We want to make sure that we are attracting… the best and the brightest,” he said. “And in terms of our visa operation here in India, it is the biggest one we have anywhere in the world. Nine out of 10 of those who apply for a visa get one.”
In what was seen as a statement of intent, Mr Cameron revealed plans for a same-day visa service for Indian travellers aimed specifically at regular visitors, business travellers or skilled workers.
The “super-priority” service, which will launch in March, was unveiled in a bid to counteract concerns that Britain is becoming increasingly hostile to foreign workers.
Reviving the Eurofighter deal
David Cameron is hoping to steal a march on France tomorrow when he discusses selling India partly British-made Eurofighter Typhoon jets at a meeting with India’s prime minister and president.
Mr Cameron said he intends to see if Indian authorities are ready to “reconsider” their choice of a French rival for a lucrative military contract, after rejecting offers for the UK-German-Spanish-Italian Eurofighter.
It comes after India recently opted for French contractor Dassault Aviation as the preferred bidder for the £6.4bn contract to supply 126 jet fighters to the Indian air force.
The move is likely to agitate the French, who are still to close the deal after President Francois Hollande recently returned from a visit to New Delhi without a signature on the final contract.
Opportunity sensed
Speaking in Mumbai today, Mr Cameron said: “I think Typhoon is a superior aircraft. It has the advantage of all the partner nations behind it.
“It is an aircraft that, of course, for those countries that want to buy it, we can make some aeroplanes available within months because there are so many countries already using it.”
He added: “I will obviously make clear that Typhoon is still available. This deal is clearly not the biggest item on this visit, but it is obviously a point we will make to the Indian authorities should they want to reconsider where they are.”
Mr Cameron’s attempt to revive interest in the Eurofighter comes amid a wider scandal engulfing an Anglo-Italian helicopter deal. India wants to cancel a $750m deal for a dozen helicopters made by AgustaWestland, the Anglo-Italian subsidiary of Italy’s Finmeccanica, over bribery claims.
Indian officials said they intend to press Mr Cameron for “a fully-fledged report” on what Britain knows about the matter. Britain has said it want to wait until the end of the Italian investigation before commenting in full, but has given India an interim report on the subject.
“This is something for the Italian and Indian authorities to deal with and I’m sure they will,” Mr Cameron told reporters, saying issues had been raised that needed to be settled.
Batting for Britain
Mr Cameron took a short break from his trade mission to play a game of cricket on Mumbai’s famous Oval Maidan, a recreation ground in the centre of the city.
The prime minister stood up to some peppery fast bowling from local youngsters, eventually losing his middle stump a young bowler after one memorable cover drives. His technique won approving comments from members of the England women’s squad, who are in town for the World Cup.