Starmer and Modi discuss Ukraine and oil in face-to-face meeting

Sir Keir Starmer has urged Narendra Modi to move India away from reliance on fossil fuels, as the two leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister also suggested he wanted India to take “its rightful place” on the UN Security Council, a long-held goal of the nation.

The Indian leader, who has described himself as a friend of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, meanwhile suggested he wanted to see the Ukraine war come to an end through “dialogue and diplomacy” as they met at a state government residence in Mumbai.

India continues to buy Russian fossil fuels, which helps to fund Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, all while western nations ramp up their sanctions programme.

Speaking at the palatial residence Raj Bhavan, Sir Keir said: “The Prime Minister and I also discussed the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the need for stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, and the need to co-operate in critical areas like climate and energy, including breaking away from dependence on fossil fuels.”

Sir Keir described India as a “global player”, adding: “We sit together in the Commonwealth, the G20, and we want to see India taking its rightful place on the UN Security Council too.”

India has long argued it should be a permanent member of the security council and countries including Germany and the US have expressed sympathy for its position in the past.

The UK and India will deepen security co-operation, Sir Keir said in his statement, including by working more closely on AI and weapons technology.

A £350 million newly-agreed deal will result in India being supplied with lightweight multi-role missiles, manufactured by Thales in Belfast.

When previously asked about Mr Modi’s close relationship with the Russian president, Sir Keir instead pivoted to speaking about the UK’s efforts to tighten the screw of sanctions on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ships, which it uses to illicitly sell oil and gas.

The Prime Minister, who has been on a two-day trade mission to Mumbai, also complimented India’s swift economic growth during his statement.

“It is significant that we’re meeting here in Mumbai, as India’s economic and financial capital, because India’s growth story is remarkable,” Sir Keir said.

Making a statement via a translator, Mr Modi earlier said he and Sir Keir had discussed the “ongoing conflict in Ukraine” during their face-to-face meeting.

“In the Middle East and Ukraine, India supports all efforts for restoring peace through dialogue and diplomacy,” Mr Modi said.

He also praised the Prime Minister for having “significantly progressed” the relationship between India and the UK with the trade deal they had signed together.

Mr Modi added: “Your visit to India within just a few months of concluding the agreement and the fact that you have been accompanied by the biggest ever business delegation pay testament to the new energy in the UK-India relationship.”

At Raj Bhavan, Sir Keir also announced that two British universities, the University of Lancaster and the University of Surrey, have been given approval to open new campuses in India.

They will join other British institutions in opening Indian campuses, including the University of Southampton, which opened a campus in Delhi earlier this year.

The University of York, University of Aberdeen, University of Bristol, University of Liverpool, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Coventry will open campuses from as early as next year.

British universities are expanding into the country because of its burgeoning demand for higher education: there are currently 40 million students at university in India, but 70 million places are needed by 2035.

International campuses are believed to have contributed £1 billion for the British economy last year.

The trade mission to India has so far resulted in new economic and cultural links for the two countries, including the promise of extra daily flights, and new Bollywood productions in the UK.

Some 7,000 jobs will be created in the UK as a result of Indian investment from newly struck trading arrangements, Downing Street has said, worth some £1.3 billion to Britain.

The Prime Minister has received a warm welcome in Mumbai during the visit, with some 5,700 posters, banners and billboards bearing his face and greeting messages placed along the city’s roads.

Mr Modi is understood to have told the state government of Maharashtra to ensure Sir Keir feels welcome in India.

At Raj Bhavan, Mr Modi and Sir Keir walked around the residence’s tranquil seaside gardens before they got down to business.

Mr Modi later hosted the Prime Minister for lunch, with a variety of traditional vegetarian Indian dishes on offer.

As Sir Keir and his counterpart ate, they were also treated to songs by a group of Indian traditional musicians.

On the set list were covers of the Ed Sheeran song Sapphire and Here Comes The Sun by the Beatles.