A delegation of British business figures has arrived in India to deepen investment ties and broaden commercial cooperation, following the entry into force of a free trade agreement between the two countries. The bilateral pact — formally designated the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement — took effect on 15 July 2026.

Reynolds, who holds the business, innovation, science and trade portfolio in the UK government, told a broadcast outlet that the deal stood to deepen bilateral relations, pointing to openings for companies on both sides at a time when global trade faces mounting pressures.

Reynolds described the implementation phase as the point at which the agreement would need to deliver concrete economic results, noting that the British delegation had assembled over 200 businesses, seven mayors, and three Cabinet ministers to support the effort. He outlined the range of sectors standing to benefit on both sides, citing vehicles, whisky, and salmon alongside services for the UK, while pointing to jewellery, leather goods, and food-related agriculture as areas of particular opportunity for India.

Reciprocity was built into the arrangement, he explained — a point he raised as strains on international trade continued to build. Converting market access into concrete outcomes — fresh investment, new jobs, and broader operations — represented the harder challenge, he noted.

Reynolds also addressed his working relationship with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, saying the two had built a rapport that, in his view, contributed to the deal coming together, and describing their connection as one he personally holds in high regard. Groundwork for ongoing collaboration had taken shape through that relationship, Reynolds noted, with both parties' commercial interests kept in view as a guiding principle of the arrangement.

Reynolds outlined the government's aim of spreading the benefits of economic expansion across all parts of Britain, with overseas trade forming a centrepiece of that approach, and argued that building robust trading partnerships stood among the most reliable paths to achieving stronger growth. Seven mayors from Britain travelled as part of the delegation, a composition that Reynolds tied to the administration's broader push to transfer authority away from the centre and towards cities and regions.

Among the industries forecast to gain from the arrangement are electric vehicles, financial and professional services, agriculture, food and drink, along with other fields where the two nations' capabilities align.

When asked about New Delhi's diplomatic engagement with Moscow, Kyiv, and leaders across West Asia, Reynolds described India as a country whose standing and influence on the world stage had grown considerably, adding that its voice in international affairs carried weight that others had come to recognise. Reynolds noted that India's ties with Russia were shaped by a different historical context than those of European nations, while maintaining that both India and the United Kingdom held a common stake in bringing the conflict to a close — a position he grounded in the view that borders in Europe should no longer be subject to determination through force.

Preserving freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and other key shipping lanes was a point Reynolds returned to, with the observation that any breakdown in global trade flows carries tangible costs for ordinary people and the businesses that serve them.

Defence was placed at the top of Britain's industrial strategy agenda by Reynolds, who also pointed to room for deeper cooperation with India in that area. Defence capabilities, he argued, carry weight beyond deterrence and national security — they also form a foundation for economic ties between the two nations.