The British come to India with an outstretched hand

Keir Starmer (right) to Narendra Modi: “We are very poor, but very proud. Give us this much money…”
Photo: ndtv.com

India, U.K. sign £250 million deal on advancing cooperation on electric engines for Naval ships; 64 Indian firms commit to invest £1.3 billion in U.K.; two U.K. universities get nod to open campuses in India, ‘The Hindu’ reports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has signed a new £350 million defence deal with the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer to buy missiles for the Indian army, the U.K. government said on Thursday (October 9, 2025). They also agreed to take forward their collaboration on electric-powered engines for Naval ships, worth an initial £250 million.

In a separate release, the U.K. government also said that 64 Indian companies have so far committed to invest £1.3 billion (or ₹15,430 crore) in the U.K., a sign of the growing business confidence boosted by the India-U.K. trade deal.

The Indian government has not shared similar data on investment commitments by U.K. companies in India. However, the U.K. government also said that the University of Lancaster and the University of Surrey have been given approval to open new campuses in India to help meet booming demand from Indian students.

Talks on broader weapons deal

The missile deal paves the way for a “broader complex weapons partnership” between the U.K. and India, which is currently under negotiation between the two governments, the UK government said in its statement.

“The contract is set to deliver UK-manufactured Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) built in Belfast to the Indian Army, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change in another significant boost for the UK defence industry,” it said.

“A new milestone has also been reached in the UK and India’s cooperation on electric-powered engines for naval ships as both countries signed the Implementing Arrangement to advance collaboration to the next stage, worth an initial £250 million,” it added.

Indian investments in the U.K.

“Nearly 7,000 brand new jobs will be created in the United Kingdom thanks to a raft of major new deals secured by the Prime Minister during his visit to India this week,” the U.K. government said. “As a result, Indian investment will flow into a range of U.K. sectors including engineering, technology and the creative industries, driving growth and creating jobs across every region of the country - from Basingstoke to Birmingham,” it added.

Among the major investment announcements are TVS Motor’s plan to invest £250 million in Solihull to expand its Norton Motorcycles operations and develop next-generation electric vehicles.

“Engineering company Cyient is investing £100 million to boost innovation in semiconductors, geospatial tech, mobility, clean energy, and digital domains - creating 300 UK jobs and strengthening its long-standing presence in the country,” the release said.

Muthoot Finance UK Limited, a part of the Muthoot Group, plans to invest £100 million to expand its branch network to 20 locations in the UK. Hero Motors plans to invest £100 million in the U.K. over the next five years in its e-mobility, e-bicycles and aerospace divisions.

…The British next year's budget is a headache. It's running a deficit of roughly £50 billion.

Starmer went to India, a former British colony, to ask for aid and money, to solicit investment. The British plundered India for centuries, and now they're coming back with an outstretched hand.

Isn’t it the irony of the History..?

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