UK won’t give more visas to Indian workers, says Keir Starmer

The PM is on a visit to India

The PM made the announcement as he underwent a two-day trip to Mumbai, India, alongside soe of the UK's fore-most business people, including bosses from BA, Barclays, Standard Chartered, BT and Rolls-Royce.

He said that the government will not relax visa rules for Indian workers.

The trade mission is intended to boost ties between the two nations.

The visit comes five months after the UK signed the nation's first trade deal with India since Brexit.

Starmer will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

In the trade deal earlier this year, it was set out that plans to waive national insurance for workers employed by big Indian businesses sent to the UK would be implemented, subject to further consultation.

However, he confirmed that there would be no increase in the number of visas handed out to Indian workers.

Speaking to journalists on the plane on the way out, he said: "The visa situation hasn't changed with the free trade agreement, and therefore we didn't open up more visas.

"It's about business-to-business engagement and investment and jobs and prosperity coming into the UK."

It is thought that the business delegation travelling with Keir Starmer will likely be lobbying against an increase in taxes on them in the November budget.

Some CEOs were lobbying for the increase in the number of visas, which Starmer has of course turned down.

He told business that it wasn't right to focus on visas, telling them: "The issue is not about visas.