Readout of PM call with PM Modi

Here is a readout of the Prime Minister’s call with the Prime Minister of India this afternoon.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said:

“Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, this afternoon. 

“Prime Minister Modi conveyed his best wishes on the Prime Minister’s appointment on behalf of 1.6 billion Indians.

“The Prime Minister said he was a visual representation of the historic links between the UK and India, and intended to build on this relationship to develop ever closer ties between our two countries.  

“Discussing shared global challenges, the Prime Minister praised Prime Minister Modi’s leadership on tackling climate change and the leaders welcomed opportunities to bolster our security, defence and economic partnership.  

“The Prime Minister hoped the UK and India could continue to make good progress in negotiations to finalise a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement 

“The leaders also agreed to work together as two great democracies to strengthen the developing economies of the world, and looked forward to meeting in person at the G20 in Indonesia.”