The governments of India and Britain have signed a big defense agreement. According to this agreement, Britain will now supply lightweight multirole missiles to the Indian Army. This defense deal of $ 468 million (about Rs 3,884 crore) took place in India’s financial capital Mumbai during the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the second and last day of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s first visit to India.

British Defense Ministry issued statement after agreement with India

The British Defense Ministry has issued a statement on Thursday (October 9, 2025) regarding this defense agreement. Britain’s Defense Ministry has termed this agreement as important for the deepening strategic relations of its defense industry with India. The ministry said, ‘Under this agreement, Low Weight Multirole Missiles (LMM) manufactured in Belfast, UK, will be supplied to the Indian Army, which gives a significant boost to the UK defense industry.’

These live-weight multirole missiles, also called Martlets, are air-to-air, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles.

More than 700 jobs will be protected in Britain due to the agreement with India

The ministry said, ‘This defense deal will secure more than 700 jobs in Northern Ireland, because the air defense missiles and launchers being made for India are the same ones that Belfast is currently making for Ukraine.’

According to the British Defense Ministry, this agreement can pave the way for a comprehensive complex arms partnership between India and Britain, for which talks are currently going on between the two countries.

Why is this defense agreement important for India?,

This defense agreement with Britain regarding light-weight multirole missile is very important for India. Although India already has a variety of missiles, the modern, light and multirole missiles received from Britain will help the Indian Army to respond immediately during any possible attack. These light-weight multirole missiles can be used both on land and sea. Due to which it will further increase the strategic flexibility of the Indian Armed Forces.

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A big drop in the prices of premium British whiskey brands may soon be seen in India in the coming days. The main reason for this is the visit of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to India to finalize the trade agreement between India and Britain, in which special attention is being given to British-made whiskey.

In fact, India is the largest consumer of Scotch and whiskey in the world in terms of quantity. British whiskey brands like Chivas Regal, Ballantine, The Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Johnnie Walker are in great demand in the Indian market. In such a situation, the huge demand for Scotch whiskey in India has been driven by the rapidly growing middle class and changing tastes towards luxury imported products.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London in July this year, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed between India and Britain, which promises to make expensive liquor cheaper. This agreement will not only affect foreign brands, but the prices of IMFL (India-Made Foreign Liquor) brands sold in the Indian market will also come down.

After three years of talks, India-UK After CETA signature on

This trade agreement between India and Britain comes after three years of difficult negotiations, which were further intensified by circumstances like US President Donald Trump’s tariff tension. At present, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is on a tour of India. Along with him have also come members of the Scotch Whiskey Association and executives of big companies like Diageo, the manufacturer of Johnnie Walker. The purpose of this visit of the British Prime Minister to India is to strengthen India-UK relations in trade, fintech, defense and other areas. However, the liquor sector is garnering the most headlines in this agreement, in which the agreement regarding Scotch whiskey is being seen as a big success.

Annual sale of whiskey in India can reach one billion dollars

According to Downing Street estimates, annual sales of Scotch whiskey in India could reach $1 billion. This will create more than 1000 new jobs in Scotland, benefit the UK economy by 190 million pounds every year and bilateral trade between the two countries could increase to 25.5 billion pounds ($34 billion) by 2024. With this step, consumers in India will be able to get premium whiskey at affordable rates.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reached India on Wednesday (October 8, 2025) on a two-day visit. Earlier, during the plane journey, he had shared a funny incident on his Instagram. In which he is telling the passengers that your Prime Minister is in the cockpit. No, this is not an air safety announcement.

Keir Starmer said these things while greeting the passengers on British Airways flight 9100 to Mumbai. Let us tell you that Starmer is running Britain’s biggest ever trade mission in India. He said that it is really wonderful to have all of you with us. I look forward to working with you as we explore all the opportunities in our new free trade agreement.

Reached India with more than 125 businessmen and officials
Starmer’s mid-air message to more than 125 businessmen and officials was not just about cabin camaraderie but was also a symbolic start to what London hopes will be a major economic partnership with New Delhi.

On the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the British PM has arrived on a two-day visit to India. During this visit, both the leaders will take stock of the progress made in all aspects of the India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership in line with Vision 2035. Let us tell you that India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has been signed in July 2025.

what is fta
The focus of the Modi-Starmer bilateral talks will be on the opportunities presented by the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), better known as the FTA, which will remove tariffs on more than 90 per cent of goods once approved by the UK Parliament.

Heald, Chairman of the UK India Business Council (UKIBC), said that the UK-India Corridor is one of the most promising economic relationships globally and we look forward to supporting growth based on innovation, opportunity and mutual ambition. Heald will also address a session on small and medium enterprises in India.

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Here America is giving tension, on the other side British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reached Mumbai with good news, know how India will benefit.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is on a tour of India and has reached Mumbai. During this two-day visit, discussions will be held on overall bilateral partnership including trade, investment and technical cooperation. There are old relations between India and Britain. The proof of this is that the number of Indians living in Britain is more than the people of other countries. Even in terms of employment, Indians have dominance in Britain. According to the report of A Portrait of Modern Britain, Indians are making waves in the fields of education and employment. The biggest reason behind this is the income in Britain, where the value of the currency is much higher than the Indian rupee.

According to the report of Vice.com, the price of one British pound in India is Rs 118.99. In this way, if an Indian goes to Britain and earns 1 lakh pounds, then its value in India will become 1 crore 18 lakh 98 thousand. From this it can be guessed why lakhs of Indians want to go to Britain and earn. The Bank of England issues the pound. In Britain, mainly polymer notes of £5, £10, £20 and £50 are in circulation, which bear the photo of King Charles III.

British pound dominance
Today the British Pound Sterling is not only the official currency of the United Kingdom, but it is also the fourth most traded currency in the world. Its number comes after US dollar, euro and Japanese yen. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the British pound accounts for about 5% of global foreign exchange reserves. This is evidence of Britain’s stable economy, financial discipline and London being a major global banking hub.

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