UK PM Keir Starmer was joined on the trip by 125 business and cultural leaders.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently ruled out any relaxation of visa rules for Indian nationals, even as he arrived in Mumbai to promote a new UK-India Free Trade Agreement signed in July.
Speaking to journalists on a flight to Mumbai, Starmer said it "isn't part of the plans" to open up more visa spots for Indian workers, adding that demands from business to allow more highly skilled workers from India to come to the UK will be resisted.
The message comes despite mounting concerns from British industry leaders, including some travelling with Starmer on this trip, that tighter immigration policies are exacerbating labour shortages in critical sectors.
Starmer was joined on the trip by 125 business and cultural leaders, several of whom have warned the UK that its efforts to restrict overseas workers coming to the UK risk creating a labour shortage.
However, the Prime Minister downplayed visa concerns, emphasising that the deal focuses on business-to-business engagement, investment, and job creation, rather than immigration.
“The visa situation hasn’t changed with the free trade agreement — we didn’t open up more visas,” Starmer said. “The issue is not about visas — it’s about business-to-business engagement and investment and jobs and prosperity coming into the United Kingdom.”
A balancing act amid domestic political pressure
Starmer's firm stance reflects growing domestic pressure to reduce immigration, with the anti-migrant Reform UK party rising in the polls.
The UK Prime Minister has proposed measures such as lengthening the time a person must live in the country before they can claim indefinite leave to remain, and making their ability to gain that status contingent on their “contribution” to the UK.
Asked whether the UK would try to attract some of the top-skilled people who might have been put off applying for work in the US due to President Donald Trump’s decision to hike visa costs, Starmer said that “where there is very top talent across the globe, I want to have top talent in the United Kingdom, to help us grow our economy.”
Meanwhile, UK business leaders have expressed concerns that stringent immigration rules may deter top global talent. The Confederation of British Industry, whose chief executive, Rain Newton-Smith, was on the trip to Mumbai, has stated that migration is necessary to address some of the UK’s labour shortages.
Standard Chartered’s chief executive, Bill Winters, who was also part of the delegation, has previously warned immigration restrictions would have a negative impact on the City of London’s talent pool.
No worries over wealthy exodus
One group that’s been leaving the UK, according to several different data sets, is the ultra-wealthy — after Labour removed some tax breaks given to so-called non-domiciled residents.
Asked whether he was worried about the number of wealthy people leaving the UK, Starmer said “no.”
“We keep a careful eye on the figures,” he told reporters, adding that the changes to the non-doms’ tax status are bringing a considerable amount of revenue into the government, which is being used to fix things like the National Health Service.
Starmer’s government is also under pressure to return migrants who arrived in the UK and committed crimes. The UK has dedicated agreements with just over 20 countries to return foreign criminals, and is trying to increase that number to reduce the pressure on its own prisons.
