Extending a warm welcome to the visiting UK PM, Mr Modi took a walk with him around the colonial era Raj Bhawan lawns overlooking the Arabian Sea at South Bombay, without any aides for a few minutes.
Photo: IANS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted his UK counterpart Keir Starmer at the Raj Bhawan on Thursday morning with a warm handshake exchanging pleasantries before the two leaders sat down with their respective delegations to hold high-level talks with a focus on trade, education, defence co-operation, as well as regional stability.
Extending a warm welcome to the visiting UK PM, Mr Modi took a walk with him around the colonial era Raj Bhawan lawns overlooking the Arabian Sea at South Bombay, without any aides for a few minutes.
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Union Minister Piyush Goyal, NSA Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri were also present as part of the Indian delegation at the high-level meeting held at the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Maharashtra Governor.
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Starmer is also scheduled to speak at the India-UK CEO Forum at the Jio World Centre later on Thursday, after which both PM Modi and UK PM Starmer are scheduled to address the 6th edition of the Global Fintech Fest 2025.
After holding high-level talks on Thursday, both the PMs addressed a joint press conference at the Raj Bhawan, where Modi said that the partnership between India and the UK is driven by “trustworthiness, talent, and technology”. He said, “India’s dynamism and the UK’s expertise combine to create a unique synergy. Our partnership is trustworthy, and it is driven by talent and technology”.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “Our great British universities are admired all over the world for their teaching excellence, high-quality research and commitment to innovation. I’m delighted that more Indian students will be able to benefit from a world-class British education in the near future, strengthening the ties between our two countries while pumping millions back into our economy and supporting jobs at home”.
PM Modi said nine UK universities would open their campuses in India. “It is a matter of great joy that now nine universities from the UK are going to open campuses in India. The Gurugram campus of Southampton University was recently inaugurated, and the first group of students has also taken admission,” he said.
UK PM Starmer said, “The demand for the best quality higher education is very high, so I am really pleased that we are announcing today that all British universities will be setting up campuses right here”.
The initiative aims to provide Indian students access to world-class education without leaving the country, while promoting collaborative research and academia-industry partnerships to boost innovation and skill development.
Five prestigious British universities have committed to setting up campuses across major Indian cities. The University of Bristol has received approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to open a new Enterprise Campus in Mumbai, scheduled to welcome students in summer 2026. The Gurugram campus of the University of Southampton is already operational, while University of Liverpool will set up a campus in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The
University of York, the University of Bristol and the University of Aberdeen will open their campuses in Mumbai, PM Modi said.
Significantly, the UK PM pitched for India to be included in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as a permanent member, which has been a long-standing Indian demand.”We sit together in the Commonwealth, G20 and we want to see India taking its rightful place in the UN Security Council,” Starmer said.
Calling Indo-UK economic relations the “jewel in the crown”, he said, “We want to be partners. That journey and my visit this week are about doubling down on the potential of our trade deal for the benefit of all of us. So, I brought a record 126 British businesses with me to India this week. We had to get a bigger aircraft to travel over here than the one we planned, but this delegation has some of our biggest, most iconic businesses and smaller and medium sized businesses, but also leaders from education”.
“As global leaders in tech and innovation, we have also taken the opportunity to deepen our cooperation through our technology security initiative, with new commitments on AI, advanced communication, and defence technologies,” Satrmer added.
PM Modi said, “We have reached an agreement on cooperation in military training. Under this agreement, flying instructors of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will work as trainers in the UK’s Royal Air Force”.
Starmer’s 125-member delegation, the largest-ever British trade delegation to India, includes the UK’s leading CEOs, entrepreneurs, university vice-chancellors and heads of cultural institutions. Top executives of major companies such as Rolls-Royce, British Telecom, Diageo, London Stock Exchange and British Airways are part of the delegation.
Starmer, who had visited the Yash Raj Films Studio at Andheri on Wednesday, said that three new Bollywood films would be shot in the UK from 2026. “Bollywood is back in Britain, and it’s bringing jobs, investment and opportunity, all while showcasing the UK as a world-class destination for global filmmaking. This is exactly the kind of partnership our trade deal with India is destined to unlock, driving growth, strengthening cultural ties and delivering for communities across the country,” Starmer said.
Incidentally, Starmer is accompanied by a delegation representing film powerhouses such as the British Film Institute, British Film Commission, Pinewood Studios, Elstree Studios and Civic Studios.
Starmer is also scheduled to speak at the India–UK CEO Forum at the Jio World Centre. Later on Thursday, both PM Modi and Starmer will address the 6th edition of the Global Fintech Fest 2025.
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