The leaders discussed joint work on a coronavirus vaccine, along with trade, security and climate change during a phone call on Friday, according to Number 10. “The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi discussed joint efforts to find treatments and vaccines for coronavirus, and welcomed the collaborations between our countries’ leading scientists”, said a Downing Street spokeswoman.“They looked forward to next month’s Climate Ambition Summit, which will be an opportunity to reinvigorate the global effort against climate change ahead of the UK-hosted Cop26 summit next year.The Prime Minister stressed the importance of improving bilateral trade and investment flows. Both leaders welcomed the extensive work that has taken place on this date and shared an ambition for deepening the economic relationship.
“The Prime Minister re-emphasised the UK’s commitment to the wider Indo-Pacific region and looked forward to the first deployment of the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier group to the region next year.”
The UK and India have a strong investment relationship, with UK and Indian investments supporting over half a million jobs in each other’s economies.
Last month the UK and India made agreements on financial services, infrastructure and sustainable finance, helping to boost jobs and investments for the UK companies.
The landmark tenth Economic and Financial Dialogue (EDF) between the UK and India saw the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and the Indian Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman, meeting to build further economic ties between the two countries.
The Chancellor stressed the importance that both countries continue to work closely together to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic and tackling climate change through sustainable finance.
He said: “The UK’s economic and financial relationship with India has never been more important with the global challenges we face.
“Today we set out our ambition for even stronger ties, with an agreement that will increase investment and create and secure jobs in the UK.
“We are also committed to working together to lead the global economic recovery as we build back better after the pandemic.”
