PRIME minister David Cameron has said that Britain should not “for one moment take for granted” its “vital relationship” with India, while acknowledging there were irritants in the relationship recently over issues such as visas.
Cameron, who has made two visits to India as prime minister since 2010, also spoke of his ambition to strengthen ties between both countries, saying: “We have not yet even scratched the surface of how far this relationship can go.”
Addressing the annual gathering of the Conservative Friends of India in central London last Thursday (10), the prime minister told a 400-strong audience: “I know that with India on the rise, Britain should not, for one moment, take for granted this relationship. I hope that you can see that as leader of the Conservative Party and as prime minister, I have given this relationship real commitment.
“The relationship between Britain and India, I believe, is extremely strong and can get much stronger.
“But we have not yet even scratched the surface of how far this relationship can go.”
Earlier this week, two of Cameron's most senior cabinet ministers, chancellor George Osborne and foreign secretary William Hague concluded a two-day visit to India, where they met members of the new government of prime minister Narendra Modi.
Britain announced a £250 million deal to supply defence equipment to the Indian Air Force, while Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla said it will invest £100 million in research in the UK.
While Osborne noted in Mumbai that "prime minister Modi is seeking more investment in India's economy – and I want British companies to provide it, and the British government to support it", Indo-UK ties have not been without some hiccups under the Cameron administration.
Rules governing student visas have become stricter, resulting in a reduction in the number of Indian students coming to the UK for higher studies. And Home Office vans carrying “go home” messages targeting areas with a significant Asian population sparked a furore over the coalition government's stance on immigration.
In his remarks last Thursday (10), Cameron noted that while Britain and India are both “enormous investors” into each other's countries, “we are solving some of the other issues, visas and other things that have proved irritants in the relationship before. We made sure that when it comes to rapid visas and business visas, that India comes first.”
Indian business are investing more into the UK than they do in the rest of the European Union. Britain is now the biggest inward investor into India, with success stories in construction machinery company JCB and drinks firm Diageo, which has made a £1 billion investment in Indian distillery United Spirits.
“So the economic partnership is getting ever greater,” Cameron said.
He added that Britain's biggest diplomatic presence anywhere in the world is in India, and “that is a testament to the scale of opportunities that we see in this absolutely vital relationship”.
“When it comes to commitment, I think you can see that the commitment from the British side is really there,” the prime minister said.
He recalled his visit in February last year to the Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, describing it as one of the most beautiful and serene places he has have ever been to.
“With the trials and tribulations in this job, I sometimes think of that serenity, that beauty and that calmness, and wish I could be there again,” he said.
This year marks the centenary of the outbreak of the first world war, and Cameron acknowledged the role of India's soldiers in battles across Europe. He added that Britain and India should also respect their shared past.
He said: “We should honour their memories and their service alongside everyone else”.
Cameron added that today, as both countries face the threat of terrorism, it was important for Britain and India to work together.
“I think there is a huge amount that we can do in partnerships, in business, industry, in trade but also in accepting the great challenges that our world faces, whether it is the breadth of terrorism or climate change or modern threats facing our nation.
“I really look forward to building this relationship and this partnership,” he said.
With less than a year left until the next general election in May, Cameron said British Indians have “much to contribute to this fight that we have in front of us”.
“Britain and India now both have reforming governments that believe in free enterprise, that believe in progress, that believe that if we take long-term difficult decisions, we can serve our countries.
“If we ask ourselves what are the values that are going to make Britain succeed in the next decades ahead, they are the values that your communities hold dear.
“We need another explosion of belief in enterprise, trade and making the most of what you can as individuals. We need to make the most of the family commitments that you hold, looking after one another, strengthening our values, strengthening our communities.
“We need a deep belief in serving our communities – as Gandhi put it, the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others.”
