Boris Johnson has said he hopes to broker a post-Brexit free trade deal with India “by the autumn” in an apparent hastening of his ambition.
The Prime Minister has indicated that a deal will include accepting Delhi’s demands for an increase in migration to the UK, ahead of meeting his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Mr Johnson had earlier indicated that his target for securing a deal would be the end of the year, but appeared to shorten the timeframe during an interview in Gujarat, on the first day of a two-day visit to India.
Ahead of meeting Mr Modi on Thursday, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: “We’re hoping to complete another free trade agreement, with India, by the end of the year, by the autumn.”
Speaking to reporters on his plane last night, Mr Johnson said he had “always been in favour of having people come to this country”.
“We have a massive shortage in the UK, not least in experts in IT and programmers,” he said. “We’re short to the tune of hundreds of thousands in our economy.
“We need to have a professional approach but it has to be controlled.”
His comments come after ministers announced they would loosen visa restrictions for Indian students earlier this year.
Downing Street hopes the long-delayed visit can deepen defence and economic ties between the country and underscore the UK’s post-Brexit diplomatic links.
Mr Johnson’s remarks came after he visited Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram in Gujarat, where he was given a “guide to London” written by the Indian independence leader.
The Sabarmati Ashram, which was the centre of Ghandi’s non-violent struggle against British rule, was one of the first stops for the Prime Minister during his visit to Ahmedabad.
Mr Johnson remarked that “vegetarianism costs far less than meat-eating” as he read from the book designed to be a guide for how Indians could manage in London in the late 19th century.
Mr Johnson also draped a ring of khadi cloth around a statue of Gandhi, who studied law at University College London during his time in Britain.
After removing his shoes, Mr Johnson commented: “There’s always a panic that the socks are going to let you down.”
Two women showed the Prime Minister how to spin cloth promoted by Gandhi on a traditional wheel, with Mr Johnson telling them: “It’s a bit of an art, this spinning.”
Mr Johnson signed a guestbook, writing that it was an “immense privilege” to learn about how Gandhi “mobilised such simple principles of truth and non-violence to change the world for the better”.
