The UK-India ties grew steadily in 2017, with the British government laying the groundwork for a new post-Brexit economic partnership with New Delhi amid concerns over its tough stance on the movement of professionals and students between the two nations.
The cultural strand of the bilateral relationship may have dominated the year, with grand celebrations at some of the UK’s major institutions to also mark 70 years of India’s independence, but the foreign office highlighted that other aspects of the ties remain equally at the forefront, especially within the context of Brexit.
“Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi described the connection between our people as a ‘living bridge’ and that link has been strengthened during the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture,” said a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesperson.