Kemi Badenoch, the trade secretary, kicked off a fresh attempt to secure a free trade pact with India yesterday but warned Delhi that student visas could not form part of any deal.
Badenoch arrived in Delhi for the first face-to-face talks with her Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal, amid optimism that a deal could be signed in the new year.
A previous ambition to get an agreement by October foundered amid the political chaos in London and demands by Delhi for it to include an increase in the number of Indians allowed to travel to the UK to study and work.
In an attempt to restart talks last month Rishi Sunak agreed a reciprocal UK-India migration pact that will begin early next year.
