CBI teams up with Indian counterpart to get trade deal ‘over the line’

Britain’s biggest business group will team up with its Indian counterpart to “push the UK-India trade deal over the line,” it announced today.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have jointly launched a commission to boost industry collaboration between the two countries.

A free trade agreement between Britain and India is on the cusp being reached, and is likely to be completed by October this year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a recent visit to the country.

The commission, called the UK India Industry Taskforce, will provide a forum to discuss how any future UK-India trade deal can maximise benefits for companies in both countries.

“A free trade agreement with the world’s fastest growing economy is now within touching distance, and to clinch that deal a focus on lowering barriers to trade is now essential,” Lord Karan Bilimoria, president of the CBI, said.

“This partnership is an opportunity to address shared concerns, identify common interests and foster greater understanding and to develop capacity to address the issues of economic and global concerns,” Chandrajit Banerjee, director general of the CII, said.