India–United Kingdom relations

Indo-British relations

United Kingdom	India
Envoy
High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith	High Commissioner Navtej Sarna

David Cameron welcomes Indian Prime Minister Modi to 10 Downing Street; November 2015.

Indian–British relations are foreign relations between India and the United Kingdom. India has a high commission in London and two consulates-general in Birmingham and Edinburgh. The United Kingdom has a high commission in New Delhi and five deputy high commissions in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Historically, the UK ruled India for nine decades before Indians gained independence in 1947.

The UK has an ethnic Indian population of over 1.6 million. Prime Minister David Cameron described Indian – British relations as the "New Special Relationship" in 2010.

History

East India Company (1600–1857)

Further information: East India Company, Company rule in India, and British Indian

Trade was established between Tudor England and Mughal India in 1600 when Elizabeth I granted the newly formed East India Company a royal charter. After the Mughal Empire's decline in 1707, India was a leading manufacturing country in the world in the early 18th century. It had 22.6 percent share of the world's GDP, by the time British left the country its GDP was near 4%. During 18th century East India Company began to gain greater influence in India. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 led to the conquest of Bengal while by 1857, following various treaties and wars with Indian kingdoms (such as the Anglo-Mysore Wars with Tipu Sultan, the Anglo-Maratha Wars and the Anglo-Sikh wars), the East India Company controlled most of the Indian subcontinent. Following the Indian Mutiny of 1857, where Indian sepoys rebelled against their British officers, the East India Company was dissolved the following year. The assets of the British East India Company became so huge that the British government decided to step in. India served as the main base for the British Empire's expansion across Asia and would remain the empire's most important colony until independence. Queen Victoria became Empress of India in 1858. From a small trading outpost, India became the jewel in the British crown.

British Raj (1858–1947)

Further information: British Raj, Indian Empire, and Indian independence movement

In 1858, the British Government assumed direct control of the territories and treaty arrangements of the former East India Company. In 1876, the area, which included modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, became "The Indian Empire" (often known historically as the 'British Raj') with British Monarch Queen Victoria proclaimed as "Empress of India" (a title held by her successors until 1947). The British Indian Army was established and assisted Britain in many wars, including the Anglo-Afghan Wars, the Anglo-Gurkha Wars, the Anglo-Burmese Wars, the First and Second Opium Wars, and both World Wars. The British introduced the concept of racial superiority in the diverse population and proclaimed themselves as the most superior. By introducing the Licence Raj the British destroyed the local tradescrafts, skills in order to import substandard products from England and restricted imports from Germany, France, Russia. The craze for Tiger hunting by both British aristrocatic classes and upstart British Johnies for bragging and trophie rights back home in Britain decimated the Tigers and the Asiatic Lion populations. The British encouraged the caste system in Hindus while playing Muslims and Sikhs against the Hindus. The British developed segregation policies to keep their residential or civil lines free from the Indians, this was the precursor for the apartheid system in South Africa. During the First and Second World wars the British starved 5 million Bengalis by deliberating diverting the food from other parts of India from reaching them as the Bengalis were considered inferior and rebellious when they asked for human rights. There has been no apology or compensation by Britain to India for having reduced it to a poverty ridden country by the end of their Raj in 1947 after 400 years presence including 200 years of rule.

End of the British Raj

The Indian independence movement gained traction following the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Opposition to British rule, both through violent revolutions (as exemplified by Sardar Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose) and through nonviolent resistance (as exemplified by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) eventually led to Indian independence in 1947. Partition of India created new entities out of the erstwhile British Raj : India & Pakistan.

Dominion of India (1947–1950)

Further information: Dominion of India

Independence came in 1947 with the Partition of India into the union of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan, within the Commonwealth of Nations. King George VI, who as British Monarch had been "Emperor of India", abandoned this title in 1947, and served as India's ceremonial head of state as 'King of India' (in much the same way, he also served as 'King of Pakistan'). In 1950 India became a Republic and the link with the British crown was severed.

The Dominion was part of the Sterling Area (the Republic of India finally leaving in 1966).

Republic of India (since 1950)

Narendra Modi delivering his statement to the media with David Cameron, at Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in London on 12 November 2015.

Further information: History of the Republic of India

India decided to remain in the Commonwealth of Nations after becoming a Republic. Both Britain and India have since pursued quite divergent diplomatic paths.

In particular, India became a major force within the Non-Aligned Movement, which initially sought to avoid taking sides during the Cold War. This contrasted with Britain's position as a founding member of NATO, and key ally of the United States.

Political and diplomatic relations between the two countries have generally been cordial but lacking in depth. Former Indian Prime-Minister I. K. Gujral made a scathing assessment of Britain's relationship with India saying that the UK was a third rate power not worth cultivating.

Economy

India is the third largest foreign investor in the UK, and the UK is also a significant investor in India. There are many bilateral trade agreements between the two nations designed to strengthen ties. For example, in 2005, the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) was inaugurated in New Delhi aimed at boosting two-way bilateral investments.

The growth of India's multinational companies contributed greatly to UK's business and economy. As of 2014, Indian companies in the UK generated over 19 billion pounds. Also, they have employed more than 100,000 people in the UK. Tata group alone employed over 55,000 people in the UK. This kind of phenomena, where non-Western countries impact the West, has been commented on by sociologist Anthony Giddens as "reverse colonialism." The British government has chosen India as one of its most influential trade partners because it is one of the "fastest growing economies in the world." In 2013, Cameron formed the biggest trade delegation by accommodating more than 100 representatives that varied from multinational corporations, medium-to-small-sized corporations, and universities to India. Compared to the 2010 trade mission, the UK and India negotiated to double the trade volume by 2015. Following the trade delegation, total UK goods and services exports to India increased by 14% from January to September 2013.

Education

Various Indian students have gone to the UK to attain higher levels of education. From 2004 to 2009, the number of Indian students studying in the UK doubled from 10,000 to over 20,000. By 2009, India was one of the top ten countries sending students to study in the UK. Because the number of students grew, the British government and the Indian government agreed to cooperate.

During the 2010 UK-India Summit, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and India came into agreement to support education by implementing the India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). In this summit, Cameron stated that "Education is an area where India and the UK could pool some of the advantages for mutual benefit." He continued by stating that a higher quality of education would lead to providing opportunities for all, thus encouraging economic growth and overcoming poverty for India. However, after its implementation, the number of Indian students studying in the UK did not increase as expected by both governments. In 2010, Home Secretary Theresa May announced a stricter immigration law. This included tighter rules for international students. Students were forced to return to their homeland after earning their degree. Since the immigration law, there has been a rapid decrease of 25% in the number of first year students from India during the year 2012-2013. Theresa May's action has been criticised by people such as historian Edward Acton. Acton stated that this action is "butchering" the Anglo-Indian friendship because it is "treating university students as immigrants." The continuous drop in the number of international students, including Indians, has become controversial. Business leaders such as Sir James Dyson have commented that forcing international students to move back to their homeland can be detrimental to the British economy in the long term. In March 2015, Phillip Hammond stated during an interview with DD News that Theresa May's policy has been cancelled. Starting from 2015, Indian students are able to stay in the UK for six years after their graduation.

A new partnership has been made between the governments of two countries, under which, UK government and companies will support Skill India by setting up new "Centres of Excellence".

Defence

File:HMS West Minister and INS Delhi berthed at a port in Goa during KONKAN 2013.JPG

HMS Westminister and INS Delhi berthed at a port in Goa during a military exercise in 2013.

File:Royal Navy Admiral George Zambellas inspecting a guard of honour at South Block lawns, New Delhi.JPG

Admiral Sir George Zambellas, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of the Royal Navy receives a guard of honour at South Block lawns, New Delhi; March 2015.

Cooperation is undertaken under the Defence Consultative Group (DCG) formed in 1995. India and the UK cooperate in a number of ways. Joint Indo-UK exercise (a ten-day exercise Emerald Mercury was held in India in March 2005, the first of its kind between the two countries, which marked the biggest land deployment of British military personnel in India), research and technology and defence equipment collaboration.

After its formation, high level visits within countries occurred regularly. India's Chief of Air Staff Arup Raha visited UK on September 10–13 and UK's Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon visited India on October 28–29, 2014.

Britain supports India’s case for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council as well as bilateral cooperation in civilian nuclear technology.

The UK and India also cooperate on security and terrorism issues.

The UK was unable to win the Indian MRCA competition, in spite of a billion pound aid pledge that International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said was intended to help win the bid. India's former Finance Minister and current President of India, Pranab Mukherjee regards this aid as unnecessary and characterised it as "peanuts". Britain has decided to withdraw aid to India by 2015, against the wishes of Save the Children who point out that India accounts for a quarter of all global child deaths.

Political

Politically, relations between India and the UK occur mostly through the multilateral organisations of which both are members, such as the Commonwealth of Nations, the World Trade Organisation and the Asian Development Bank.

Three Presidents of India have paid state visits to the United Kingdom: Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in June 1963, Ramaswamy Venkataraman in October 1990, and Pratibha Patil in 2009.

HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom paid state visits to India in November 1963, April 1990, and in October 1997.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the UK in 2006.

Since becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Cameron has been actively involved in enhancing the Indian-British relations on various dimensions, such as ”business, energy security, climate change, education, research, security and defense, and international relations." His effort can be seen in his political visits in India on February 18–20, 2013 and on November 14, 2013. Following his visit, other politicians such as Former UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne visited India to accomplish a trade mission in July 2014. During their visit, Osborne announced that a statue of Gandhi would be erected in London Parliament Square to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gandhi's return to India from South Africa. Upon unveiling the statue on March 14, 2015, Cameron stated that "Our ties with India have remained close throughout history and continue to go from strength to strength – through mutual respect as equals, through cooperation, trade, and of course through the one-and-a-half million Indian diasporas living in Britain today who bring our two nations closer, to the benefit of both." He further commented that the statue will "enrich the firm bond of friendship between the world's oldest democracy and its largest."

India is the hope for a Western style development based on democracy versus the Beijing consensus of state-guided growth.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the UK from 12-16 November 2015. During the visit, Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the British Parliament. The Times of India reported that agents from Mossad and MI5 were protecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was heading to the 2015 G-20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey from the UK. The paper reported that the agents had been called in to provide additional cover to Modi's security detail, composed of India's Special Protection Group and secret agents from RAW and IB, in wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks.

See also

• Foreign relations of the United Kingdom
• High Commission of India to the United Kingdom
• India's strategic ties with sovereign European nation-States

Perceptions

BBC World Service Country Rating Poll Data for UK & India

According to a 2014 BBC World Service Poll, 43% of Indians view the United Kingdom's influence positively, 30% neutral and 27% expressing a negative view, while 45% of the British view India's influence positively, 9% neutral and 46% expressing a negative view.

Results of 2014 BBC World Service poll.
Views of India's influence by country
Sorted by Pos-Neg

Country polled	Positive	Negative	Neutral	Pos-Neg
Germany	16	68	16	-52
Pakistan	21	58	21	-37
Spain	20	50	30	-30
Israel	9	34	57	-25
Mexico	26	37	37	-11
South Korea	36	47	17	-11
France	40	49	11	-9
China	27	35	38	-8
Canada	38	46	16	-8
Peru	26	31	43	-5
Australia	44	46	10	-2
United Kingdom	45	46	9	-1
United States	45	41	14	4
Brazil	41	36	23	5
Turkey	35	29	36	6
Chile	35	21	44	14
Indonesia	47	24	29	23
Japan	34	9	57	25
Kenya	53	23	24	30
Ghana	53	22	25	31
India	56	22	22	34
Russia	45	9	46	36
Nigeria	64	22	14	42

Results of 2014 BBC World Service poll.
Views of the United Kingdom's influence by country
Sorted by Pos-Neg

Country polled	Positive	Negative	Neutral	Pos-Neg
Pakistan	39	35	26	4
Spain	41	36	23	5
Turkey	39	30	31	9
China	39	26	35	13
Mexico	40	25	35	15
India	43	27	30	16
Germany	51	34	15	17
Peru	41	21	38	20
Brazil	45	25	30	20
Russia	44	16	40	28
Chile	45	15	40	30
Indonesia	59	26	15	33
Israel	50	6	44	44
Japan	47	2	51	45
Nigeria	67	22	11	45
United Kingdom	72	23	5	49
France	72	20	8	52
Australia	73	18	9	54
South Korea	74	14	12	60
Kenya	74	10	16	64
Ghana	78	9	13	69
Canada	80	9	11	71
United States	81	10	9	71

External links

• Official Site of High Commission of India in United Kingdom
• The official website for the British High Commission in India
• Re-Imagine:India UK Cultural Relations in the 21st