UK Opposition Labour Party reaches out to India in election year

London: The UK's Opposition Labour Party is actively reaching out to India in a year when both countries prepare for general elections, with the party's senior leadership recently concluding a three-city tour of the country.

Labour’s shadow deputy prime minister Angela Rayner was joined by British Indian member of Parliament Navendu Mishra and councillor Vimal Choksi on a tour of New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Agra last month.

The party said the visit, organised by diaspora group Labour Convention of Indian Organisations (LCIO), was aimed at strengthening relations between Labour and Indian business, faith, community and political leaders. Also, given Rayner's additional responsibility as the shadow communities minister, the visit was described as vital for Labour to better connect with the nearly 1.8 million people of Indian heritage in Britain.

"The trip provided several important opportunities for the Labour delegation to meet political leaders at a provincial and national level,” the LCIO said in a statement this week.

"In all these meetings, the Labour delegation built on Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to put trade relations with India at the heart of future economic growth,” it said.

In New Delhi, Rayner and Mishra, chair of LCIO, visited the Upa-Rashtrapati Niwas for a meeting with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue.

At a roundtable with business leaders from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Labour delegation engaged with business leaders from across India aimed at strengthening economic ties which will be crucial in delivering well-paying jobs in both nations. They were also hosted by the UK-India Business Council (UKIBC) to discuss the UK-India economic partnership in greater detail and expand on the huge opportunity which India presents for British companies.

In Gujarat, the LCIO said their visit to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad served as a reminder of Mahatma Gandhi’s life mission and those of others who have fought a similar struggle. They went on to meet with Zydus Life Sciences representatives to learn about pharmaceutical production in India and recent Indian pharmaceutical investments in Britain.

The Labour delegation also visited a large renewable energy initiative, the Dholera solar park, a five gigawatt solar power project being developed in two phases in Gujarat.

"This is one part of a larger expansion in the output of green energy throughout India, boosting both sustainability and economic output. This visit was insightful for leaders of Labour, whose Green Prosperity Plan will achieve a similar transformation in Britain," the LCIO said.

Women’s empowerment and multi-faith understanding were some of the other strands of the visit, which included visits to Akshardham and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi, a tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra and meeting with the Bohra community in Ahmedabad.