Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Rishi Sunak Risks Clash With UK Home Secretary Over Visa Deal With India

Rishi Sunak Risks Clash With UK Home Secretary Over Visa Deal With India

Rishi Sunak is already under pressure for appointing Suella Braverman back to the post she quit just a week ago over a security breach

Rishi Sunak's UK government is in talks with India over whether to increase the number of business visas granted to Indian nationals as part of a potential trade deal, a stance that risks causing friction in the new prime minster's top team.

Business visas remain an area of "active negotiation" in the discussions, Trade Minister Greg Hands told the House of Commons on Wednesday. He said talks are complete on the majority of the deal.

The government is trying to highlight the benefits of Brexit by adding to the new trade deals it's struck since leaving the European Union, and Hands said an agreement with India will give exporters greater access to a billion consumers. But loosening visa arrangements could also put Sunak -- the UK's first British prime minister of Indian-origin -- on a collision course with Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who recently expressed concerns about the arrangements.

Braverman, a hardline Brexiteer whose parents are also both of Indian origin, appeared to oppose a more generous visa policy in an interview with the Spectator earlier this month, saying: "I do have some reservations. Look at migration in this country -- the largest group of people who overstay are Indian migrants."

Sunak is already under pressure for appointing Braverman back to the post she quit just a week ago over a security breach that she herself acknowledged broke ministerial rules.

Braverman also told the Spectator that she had "concerns about having an open-borders migration policy with India because I don't think that's what people voted for with Brexit."

Not Immigration


At the time, the British press reported that her comments provoked the ire of former prime minister Liz Truss, who had wanted a more flexible migration policy in her short-lived effort to boost growth.

But Hands suggested that increasing the number of temporary business visas for Indians was a separate issue to permanent migration. "In the area of trade, what we're talking about is mode four arrangements. These aren't immigration arrangements. These relate to business visas not for permanent settlement," he said.

Some 16 chapters across 26 policy areas have been agreed so far, according to Hands, who said talks will resume "shortly."

"We are working towards the best deal for both sides and won't sign until we have a deal that is fair, reciprocal and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the UK economy," Hands said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
×