Ministers see securing a free trade agreement with India, as well as a separate bilateral investment treaty, as a key economic priority.
A spokesperson for the U.K. Department for Business and Trade said on Saturday: “We have been clear we will only sign a deal that is fair, balanced and ultimately in the best interests of the British people.”
“We are determined to improve access for U.K. businesses, ensure their fair treatment, cut tariffs, and make trade cheaper and easier,” the spokesperson added.
Goyal returned after visiting Oslo and Brussels following a two-day negotiating sprint with U.K. Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds in London at the start of this week.
There are “just a couple of issues left to resolve,” said a person briefed on the talks by Goyal. Nevertheless, it “appears like most of [the deal] has been resolved and it is likely there might be something announced soon,” they said.
Goyal’s mid-week visits to Norway and the European Commission were focused on carving out exemptions for India’s high-emission commodities like steel and cement from new European carbon border tax regimes.
