Liam Fox speech welcoming Indian Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, to the London Stock Exchange

Minister Jaitley, it’s a pleasure to see you again and to welcome you here for your visit to launch the UK / India Year of Culture, as part of India’s independence celebrations.

It is an important opportunity to strengthen the economic and cultural ties between our countries.

The UK - India investment relationship is hugely important.

India is now the third largest investor and second largest job creator in the UK; the UK is the largest G20 investor in India and plays an important role in building skills in the Indian workforce.

And the UK government is committed to deepening this relationship further.

In my first months as Secretary of State for International Trade, I’ve been lucky enough to visit India twice - most recently accompanying the Prime Minister on her first bilateral visit outside Europe, as well as her first trade delegation.

In the words of Prime Minister Modi, India and the UK are an ‘unbeatable partnership’.

And I’m very glad that our Prime Ministers recently committed to ‘building the closest possible commercial and economic relationship’.