India trade mission unlocks hundreds of UK jobs and new deals

Monday, 12 October 2026 10:30

Business, Environment and Scotland Secretaries arrive in India with one of the largest ever regional trade missions of businesses and northern Mayors Fresh commercial wins bring investment and hundreds of jobs, building on the momentum of the UK-India FTA that businesses are now using The Great North mission will promote regional strengths, attracting investment from one of the world's fastest-growing economies. A billion-pound trade mission to...Request free trial

Business, Environment and Scotland Secretaries arrive in India with one of the largest ever regional trade missions of businesses and northern Mayors
Fresh commercial wins bring investment and hundreds of jobs, building on the momentum of the UK-India FTA that businesses are now using
The Great North mission will promote regional strengths, attracting investment from one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

A billion-pound trade mission to India will unlock hundreds of new jobs in the UK as Ministers, Mayors and businesses travel to Delhi and Mumbai.

The signing of the landmark UK-India FTA in July 2025, which is now in force, paved the way for a renewed trading relationship. This has given a boost to businesses, with communities across the country now set to benefit from more than £1 billion in new deals, supporting jobs and driving growth in every postcode.

It comes as the Business Secretary has travelled to India today alongside a group of northern Mayors, one combined authority leader as well as the Secretaries of State for Defra and Scotland and over 100 businesses from across a range of sectors. The mayoral mission will look to promote Northern businesses, helping them to win customers and contracts, attract more Indian visitors and forge new partnerships.

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Jonathan Reynolds said:

Our trade deal with India opened the door, and now regional businesses are walking through it with our northern Mayors leading the way in building partnerships to drive jobs, investment and growth back home.

This billion pound trade mission will deepen ties with one of the world's fastest-growing economies to bring opportunity to every postcode.

The latest package highlights the UK's ambition with one of the world's fastest growing economies and means that, since the signing of our landmark FTA in July 2025, deals worth nearly £12 billion have been struck, helping businesses to grow, supporting jobs across local communities here at home. In the 12 months to March 2026, total UK-India trade was worth £48 billion - an increase of £3 billion year-on-year in current prices.

Tech firm Meta for Data Technologies will invest £50 million in the UK, creating 500 highly skilled jobs in London and Manchester. The investment will fund a new AI and data research centre, an engineering an AI hub, and a quantum computing lab in Greater Manchester. This comes alongside the expansion of the company's London headquarters.

The biggest export deal meanwhile comes via Menzies Aviation a leading UK aviation services provider which is expected to generate over £600 million in revenue from a 15-year Ground Handling Licence. The company will provide its services at India's largest domestic cargo facility in Bengaluru, expanding its footprint across the country.

Elsewhere, premium UK kids wear brand Angel & Rocket have announced plans to open 100 stores in India over the next five years, generating an estimated £43 million in revenue.

Supported by the Secretaries of State for Defra and Scotland, the trip reflects the breadth of opportunity offered by the UK-India relationship with representatives on the trip including those from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, British Meat Processors Association, Fever Tree, Kendamil, the National Farmers' Union, Salmon Scotland, the Scotch Whisky Association and Walker's Shortbread.

Defra and the Scotland Office will continue to champion food and drink businesses make the most of the opportunities created by the FTA, supporting exporters to reach new customers. Whisky tariffs have already been halved from 150% to 75%, while salmon can now enter India tariff free and iconic UK biscuits like shortbread also benefitting.

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Angela Eagle said:

This government's landmark deal with India opened the door to one of the world's fastest-growing markets and we are working to turn its commitments into outcomes for British farmers and food and drink companies.

We're in India alongside food and drink exporters helping them showcase the best of British produce, build new trading relationships, and unlock the export opportunities for communities across the UK.

Meanwhile, Oxford Nanopore is due to sign a memorandum of understanding with India's Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics. This will mark the launch of a Centre for Excellence in Hyderabad, creating new opportunities for scientific collaboration between the UK and India.

During the visit, the Business Secretary will meet Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to co-chair the latest UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee and co-chair the UK-India Science and Innovation Council alongside Indian Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.

This comes as the Cambridge-based Panakeia is expected to generate £27.6 million through its innovative use of AI in breast cancer diagnosis. The company will be expanding into India, selling their technology to improve cancer diagnostics using British technology to save lives across the world.

Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander said:

It's great news that we have Scottish businesses joining this co-ordinated UK Government trade mission to India. Our free trade agreement was hard won and will now open up a big market for high-quality products like salmon and whisky. I am determined to make sure Scotland's producers can turn the trade deal into real business wins, by helping them access and navigate this valuable market.

Scotland's success in markets like India is supported by the strength, reach and influence that come from being part of the UK. Boosting export opportunities and encouraging inward investment in Scotland means real benefits back at home in economic growth and jobs.

As part of the Mumbai leg of the visit, the Business Secretary will also visit a Premier League community event, looking at the impact the league is having on community and grassroots football in India.

This week also marks the official opening of the University of Liverpool's Bengaluru Campus giving Indian students greater access to world-class UK degrees with 10,000 students anticipated to be studying here within 10 years.

The Business Secretary will also meet the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to launch closer regional economic cooperation, and he'll also attend a major trade marketplace bringing together British and Indian businesses to explore new deals and investment opportunities.

The visit comes three months after the UK's landmark deal with India entered into force with the agreement worth a boost of £25.5bn to bilateral trade every year in the long run.

Notes to editorsThe full list of deals includes:

Menzies Aviation, a leading UK aviation services provider, is expected to generate over £600 million in revenue from its 15-year Ground Handling Licence, backed by a £6 million investment and exclusive Bridge Mounted Equipment (BME) rights, while operating at India's largest domestic cargo facility in Bengaluru and creating more than 1000 jobs through expanding its aviation services footprint in India.
RANsemi Limited has signed a strategic partnership to expand the reach of British-developed 5G Open RAN semiconductor technology in India, an export opportunity worth over £100 million over the next five years deepening UK-India cooperation in advanced communications infratructure.
Buro Happold in Bath is celebrating 50 years of global engineering excellence and scaling up in India to generate £90 million in revenue from India projects for the practice, invest £3 million in India and create 500 + jobs over three years, working with the Government, leading airports and real estate developers across diverse sectors.
Meta for Data Technologies (MFD) plans to invest £50 million in the UK, creating 500 high-skilled jobs in London and Manchester through new AI, data and quantum innovation hubs.
British premium kidswear brand Angel & Rocket from the East of England, plans to expand to 100 stores in India over the next five years, supported by up to £5 million investment, creating 500 jobs and generating an estimated £43 million in revenue over the expansion period.
Healthcare International Research secured new business in India to provide natural health products under their brand HEMPE with retailers such as Zepto, Amazon, Apollo and 1mg pharmacies already engaged; worth potentially over £42m over five years.
Panakeia Technologies is expanding into India, beginning with Dr Lal PathLabs, deploying its AI PANProfiler platform to improve cancer diagnostics across cancers, with the expansion projected to benefit ~115,000 patients and generate over £27m export value.
Gleeds is delivering contracts worth £27 million in India, providing its world-class construction consultancy, project management and cost management services to the Indian construction sector, helping make the industry more sustainable and efficient.
Civo has signed an exclusive partnership with Redington, combining its £15.5 million sovereign, AI-ready cloud platform with Redington's extensive distribution network to provide Indian businesses with a transparent, DPDP-compliant alternative to hyperscale cloud providers.
Kimia, an Essex-based supplier of high-purity alcohols and solvents, is launching its GMP-compliant grades into India's pharmaceutical sector, with projected revenues of £9-10m over five years.
JBrown International is set to generate £7m in business from Indian clients through its UK property advisory, portfolio management and legacy planning services, supporting 14 UK jobs and strengthening UK-India commercial partnerships.
Asika, a London-based AI agent startup, has secured partnerships with multiple hospital groups in Hyderabad to reduce administrative burden. The exports are projected to be worth £5m over five years.
Organicco helps businesses turn difficult waste into useful products and is progressing export opportunities in India with an estimated value of £2 million.
Arup Secures £1.4m Mumbai Metro Design review contract, targeting £7m pipeline and supporting 22 jobs across the UK and India.
ERG Neev, an UKIndia partnership delivers contracts worth £1m including one of India's largest odour control systems for Mumbai's 360 MLD wastewater treatment project, with ERG Neev supplying a 120,000 m³/hr system to L&T.
CIPS has built partnerships across Indian government, industry and academia, creating a growing nationwide community and making an investment of approximately £0.4 million, with the potential to generate £1 million in annual revenue.
DMMP Limited (East Midlands) is expanding its presence in India, with a planned total investment of approximately £3.5 million to support further growth, manufacturing capacity and additional group capabilities in 2027.
Oriole Networks is investing nearly £5 million to expand its India operations, following the launch of its Bangalore engineering centre, which will accelerate development of energy-efficient networking solutions for large-scale AI infrastructure.
SmartViz sees strong momentum in India's smart infrastructure and building management space, with UK innovation well positioned to drive impactful solutions for smarter, safer, and more sustainable buildings and cities, expected to generate £18m revenue over the next three years.

Stakeholder quotes Francis Van Parys, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, said:

India is a vital long-term partner for the UK's life sciences sector, and we're delighted to be expanding our collaboration through this new MoU.

The recent Free Trade Agreement will make it easier for companies like ours to build scientific partnerships, expand exports and invest for long-term growth.

Hrishikesh Shende, Premier League India Managing Director, said:

It is fantastic to welcome the Secretary of State to the Premier League's NEXTGEN Football Festival in Mumbai.

Supporting the next generation of grassroots coaching is a key part of the Premier League's community football work in India, which has spanned nearly two decades, and a fantastic example of how we can bring Premier League expertise to the country, invest in local coaches and create opportunities for young Indians to access to high-quality coaching.

Professor Tim Jones, Vice Chancellor of the University of Liverpool said:

At the University of Liverpool Bengaluru, we are providing talented students with a world-class teaching and learning experience and a range of co-curricular activities to develop them into the leaders of the future.

We are proud that our new campus is acting as a bridge between the Liverpool City Region and the State of Karnataka and are delighted that Mayor Steve Rotheram will be playing a key role in the opening ceremony and discussions to build even stronger relationships with Bengaluru.

Sources