British PM Boris Johnson arrives in India for a two-day visit

 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday for his two-day visit to the South Asian country as he seeks to bolster ties between the historical partners.

The trip is Mr Johnson’s first to India and the first ever by any British prime minister to Ahmedabad — the capital of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat.

The Prime Minister will visit a new factory being opened by a top British firm in Gujarat, as well as a biotechnology university working in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh.

The city, a major commercial hub, is known as the "Manchester of India" for its cotton-textile industry and is the ancestral home to about half of the Anglo-Indian population in Britain.

“As I arrive in India today, I see vast possibilities for what our two great nations can achieve together. From next-generation 5G telecoms and AI to new partnerships in health research and renewable energy — the UK and India are leading the world,” Mr Johnson said in a statement before his arrival.

He said the “powerhouse partnership” between UK and India is delivering jobs, growth and opportunities to British people and the ties between the two nations will go from strength to strength in future.

Mr Johnson will announce a raft of commercial agreements and hail a new era in the UK and India’s trade, investment and technology partnership.

UK and Indian businesses will confirm more than £1 billion in new investments and export deals today in areas from software engineering to health, creating almost 11,000 jobs across the UK, accoding to a statement by the British PM's office.

The prime minister, who is embroiled in a raging “partygate” controversy at home, was received by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and greeted by a dance troupe amid sounds of drums outside the airport where his massive posters have lined up the streets.

He visited Sabarmati Ashram — the residence of Mahatma Gandhi shortly after his arrival in the country. He is scheduled to meet industrialist Gautam Adani over lunch and inaugurate a new factory of JCB, an excavator manufacturer brand, near Vadodara city, and later pay a visit to Akshardham Temple.

He is also due to interact with local businessmen and announce new health, science and technology projects including a digital health partnership and a joint investment fund for Indian deep-tech and AI start-ups, supported by both the governments.

Mr Johnson will leave for capital New Delhi in the evening where he will hold “in-depth talks” with Mr Modi and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on bilateral ties, defence, diplomatic and economic partnership on Friday.

"The Prime Minister will also use this week’s visit to drive progress in negotiations on the landmark UK-India free trade agreement, which is expected to help double our trade and investment by 2030," Mr Johnson's office said.

Negotiating teams will hold their third round of formal talks in India next week.

The two prime ministers will also discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but Mr Johnson is unlikely to “lecture” India on its neutral position on the war unleashed by its Cold War ally, a Downing Street representative has said.

India has maintained a neutral stand on the crisis and refused to criticise Moscow while repeatedly abstaining from West-backed resolutions that censured Russia at the UN.

“We won’t be seeking to lecture India or try and persuade them into one position or another. We will be seeking to work with them constructively as an important international partner,” the representative said.