London:

Britain’s political leaders made a final frantic push for votes Wednesday on the last day of an election campaign expected to return a Labour government after 14 years of Conservative rule.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted he was still “fighting hard” despite one of his closest allies conceding that the Tories were heading for an “extraordinary landslide” defeat on Thursday.

The Conservatives suffered a further blow at the 11th hour when The Sun tabloid, famous for backing election winners, endorsed Keir Starmer’s Labour.

Polls overwhelmingly predict that Labour will win its first general election since 2005 — making Starmer the party’s first prime minister since Gordon Brown left office in 2010.

That outcome would see Britain swing leftwards back to the centre ground after almost a decade and a half of right-wing Conservative governments, dominated first by austerity, then Brexit and a cost-of-living crisis.

Starmer, 61, criss-crossed the UK in a bid to shore up Labour support and warn against complacency in the campaign’s final hours.

“If you want change, you have to vote for it,” he told reporters at an event in Carmarthenshire, south Wales, where supporters handed out cakes with red ribbons, the colour associated with the party. 

“I’m not taking anything for granted,” he added, before flying to Scotland on the same plane that took the England football team to the European Championships in Germany.

Sunak, 44, sought to hammer home his oft-repeated warnings that a Labour government would mean tax rises and weaker national security — jibes that Labour has branded a desperate attempt to cling to power.

The Tories also stepped up their warnings to voters to stop the prospect of Labour winning a “supermajority”, which Labour fears is intended to hit turnout. 

Sunak ally Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, said Wednesday the electorate would “regret” handing Labour “untrammelled” power without an effective Tory opposition.

– Bigger than Blair? –

“If you look at the polls, it is pretty clear that Labour at this stage are heading for an extraordinary landslide on a scale that has probably never, ever been seen in this country before,” he told right-wing broadcaster GB News.

But ex-PM Boris Johnson — ousted by his own colleagues, including Sunak, in 2022 — staged his first major intervention of the campaign Tuesday, urging supporters not to see the result as a “foregone conclusion”.

Labour has enjoyed a consistent 20-point lead in the polls over the past two years with many voters dissatisfied at the Conservatives’ handling of a range of issues including public services, immigration and the economy.

Several surveys predict that Labour will win more than the record 418 seats it won when Tony Blair ended 18 years of Conservative rule in 1997. 

Labour requires at least 326 seats to secure a majority in the 650-seat parliament.

Voters head to the polls from 7:00 am (0600 GMT), with results expected to start dropping from about 2230 GMT late Thursday into Friday morning.

The vote is Britain’s first July election since 1945, when Labour under Clement Attlee defeated the Conservatives of World War II leader Winston Churchill, ushering in a period of transformational social change.

Attlee’s government created the modern welfare state, including the state-run National Health Service (NHS), Britain’s most cherished institution after the royal family.

– In-tray –

Starmer’s “change” agenda is not so radical this time around and promises cautious management of the economy, as part of a long-term growth plan that includes nursing battered public services back to health.

A Labour government would face a formidable to-do list, ranging from spurring anaemic growth to ending NHS strikes and improving post-Brexit ties with Europe.

Some voters simply eye a respite from politics after a chaotic period of five prime ministers, a succession of scandals and Tory infighting between centrists and right-wingers that shows no sign of abating. 

The Sun called the Conservatives a “divided rabble, more interested in fighting themselves than running the country”, adding: “It is time for a change.”

Starmer — the working-class son of a tool maker and a nurse — has none of the political charisma or popularity of former leader Blair, who presided over that last Labour victory in 2005.

But the former human rights lawyer and chief public prosecutor stands to gain from a country fed up with the Tories, and a feeling of national decline.

Arch-Eurosceptic Nigel Farage hopes the discontent will see him elected an MP at the eighth time of trying, while the Liberal Democrats are expected to gain dozens of seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer take part in the BBC’s Prime Ministerial Debate, in Nottingham, England, on June 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

In a final and noisy pre-election debate on Wednesday night, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and opposition Labour Party Leader, Keir Starmer, argued loudly with each other on the cost of living, taxes and welfare, immigration and gender.

The Prime Minister, in danger of losing his Richmond (Yorkshire) seat, repeatedly warned voters over the 75-minute debate not to “surrender” to Labour on various fronts.

Mr. Sunak’s Conservative Party has been in power for 14 years, and has lagged behind Labour in opinion polls by around 20 points. Following the pandemic, Britons have seen four conservative Prime Ministers, crumbling public services (such as the National Health Service) and a cost of living crisis.

ALSO READ | Snap poll: On the surprise election announcement for the U.K.

The U.K.’s tax burden had hit record levels under the Sunak government. The independent Institute of Fiscal Studies warned earlier in the week that neither party was being upfront about the trade-offs that would have to be made between taxes and public services, which are already in disarray.

Mr. Sunak spoke over his opponent at length during the tax segment, accusing Mr. Starmer of planning a tax on pensions. “It is in their DNA. Mark my words. Your pension, your council tax your home, your car, you name it, they will tax it,” Mr. Sunak said.

On immigration, Mr. Starmer attacked the Prime Minister for the impracticality of the government’s plan to deport migrants with failed asylum claims to Rwanda. Mr Sunak argued that opposition leader did not have a plan and that it would be infeasible to return undocumented migrants to countries like Iran and Afghanistan.

The debate also went into some of Britain’s culture wars. The candidates were asked if they would protect women-only spaces. They both agreed on the equivalence of “sex” and “biological sex” but differed on the legal instruments required to achieve women-only spaces. Mr. Starmer accused the Tories of splitting people on a number of issues , as he cautioned people against transphobia.

Both candidates attempted to sidestep questions on mending Britain’s trading relationship with the European Union (EU). Pressed on the issue, Mr. Starmer said he would get a better deal with the EU including in research and development, as he pushed back against Mr. Sunak’s accusation that a better deal came with the free movement of EU citizens across the U.K. border.

Although Mr. Sunak trails Mr. Starmer in polls, Mr. Starmer also has low popularity.

During Wednesday’s debate, both candidates accused the other of making empty promises.

“Are you two really the best we’ve got to be the next prime minister of our great country?” a senior citizen in the audience, Robert Blackstock, asked.

“I get the frustrations, but think about the choice, allow me to finish the job I’ve started,” Mr. Sunak said as he suggested he would protect pensions from tax, “secure” borders, and have lower taxes that Labour.

“People feel like hope’s been beaten out of them,” Mr. Starmer said, arguing that Britons felt worse off now than they were 14 years ago when the Conservatives came to power.

He talked about his “working class” background and bringing a sense of service to politics.

Following the debate, Mr. Blackstock said he was disappointed with the answers both candidates had provided.

“From my perspective, we want a personality. We want somebody that we can recognise. We want somebody on the world stage, that is going to project our Great Britain. That’s what we want,” he said.

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives at the BBC Question Time Leaders’ Special at York University, in York, England, Thursday, June 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

An official from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party is being investigated by Britain’s gambling regulator over allegations he placed bets on the date of the general election before it was announced, the Sunday Times reported.

Britain’s Gambling Commission has already been reported to be investigating two Conservative election candidates and the party’s director of campaigning over bets on the date of the July 4 election.

The widening scandal has further damaged Sunak’s attempts to catch the opposition Labour Party, which is far ahead in opinion polls in the run-up to the election.

The official was named by the paper as Nick Mason, chief data officer at the Conservative Party. Mason did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The newspaper cited a spokesperson for Mason as saying he denied any wrongdoing.

The Sunday Times cited a statement from the Conservative Party as saying Mason had taken a leave of absence. The party did not confirm this when contacted by Reuters.

“As instructed by the Gambling Commission, we are not permitted to discuss any matters related to any investigation with the subject or any other persons,” a Conservative Party spokesman said.

The Gambling Commission has not confirmed the names of those under investigation. In a response to a request for comment on the Sunday Times report, a commission spokesperson said it would not provide details of its probe, including the identity of any individuals it is investigating.

Sunak said on Thursday he was “incredibly angry” to hear about the allegations against his party colleagues, calling them a “really serious matter.”

One of the Conservative candidates named in the scandal, Craig Williams, has already apologised for an error of judgment, and the party’s director of campaigning Tony Lee has taken a leave of absence.

A police officer working in a special protection unit has also been arrested over alleged bets on the election date. (Reporting by William James; Editing by Rod Nickel)

British opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer looks on as he visits Morrisons supermarket during a Labour general election campaign event in Wiltshire, Britain, June 19, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Two polls have found the UK’s Labour party was set to win a record-breaking number of seats and the incumbent Conservatives due for a historic drubbing in July’s general election.

With voters heading to the polls in just over two weeks time, the latest pair of nationwide surveys — by YouGov and Savanta/Electoral Calculus — showed Labour set to win either 425 or 516 out of 650 seats.

Either of the results would be the current opposition party’s best-ever return of MPs in a general election.

ALSO READ | Snap poll: On the surprise election announcement for the U.K.

Meanwhile, the twin polls showed support for the Tories — in power since 2010 — plummeting to unprecedented lows, with one estimating they would win just 53 seats.

The Savanta and Electoral Calculus survey for the Daily Telegraph newspaper predicted Rishi Sunak would become the first sitting U.K. prime minister ever to lose their seat at a general election.

The poll, which forecasts three-quarters of Mr. Sunak’s cabinet also losing their seats, would hand Labour a majority of 382 — more than double the advantage enjoyed by ex-prime minister Tony Blair in 1997.

It also showed the centrist Liberal Democrats just three seats behind the Conservatives on 50, and the Scottish National Party losing dozens of seats north of the English border.

Record Tory defeat?

The YouGov survey predicted Mr. Sunak’s party would win in just 108 constituencies.

That was a drop of 32 on its prediction from two weeks ago, reflecting how badly the Conservatives’ election campaign is perceived to have gone.

The 108 seats the Tories are predicted to win in the poll would still be their lowest number in the party’s near 200-year history of contesting U.K. elections.

Mr. Sunak is widely seen as having run a lacklustre and error-strewn campaign, including facing near-universal criticism earlier this month for leaving early from D-Day commemoration events in France.

In contrast, Labour leader Keir Starmer, set to become prime minister if his party prevails on July 4, has sought to play it safe and protect his party’s poll leads.

YouGov also found anti-EU populist Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party on course to win five seats, including in the Clacton constituency in eastern England where the Brexit figurehead is standing.

Mr. Farage has said he will attempt to co-opt what remains of the Conservative party if he is elected and it fares poorly on July 4.

Labour Leader Keir Starmer (centre), accompanied by Deputy Leader Angela Rayner and Naushabah Khan, Labour councillor for Gillingham and Rainham, speaks to the media on the first day of campaigning at Gillingham football club on May 23, 2024 in Gillingham, England.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Rishi Sunak, his Conservative Party colleagues and Opposition Labour Leader Keir Starmer and his shadow cabinet hit the campaign trail with gusto on Thursday, a day after the British Prime Minister surprised many within his ranks by calling an election just six weeks away on July 4.

The 44-year-old British Indian leader’s rain-soaked speech on the steps of 10 Downing Street on Wednesday evening sent the political corridors of the country into a flurry of activity, with Mr. Sunak hitting the ground running with a campaign event in east London right after with his three poll pitches of “Clear Plan, Bold Action, Secure Future”.

ALSO READ | U.K. by-election results deliver double blow for PM Rishi Sunak

“Over the next few weeks, I will fight for every vote,” he pledged.

Asked by the BBC why he chose to fire the starting gun for the election race getting drenched in the pouring rain, Mr. Sunak replied that it showed that he is “not a fair-weather politician”.

“I believe very strongly in the traditions of our country. And when prime ministers make important statements like that, they do it on the steps of Downing Street come rain or shine. And I believe in those traditions and that’s why I did what I did,” he explained.

ALSO READ | On course for power, U.K.’s Opposition Labour prepares for a quick change

The Opposition Labour Party Leader, Mr. Starmer, kicked his campaign off with a simpler one-word message – “Change”.

“On July 4 you have the choice. And together, we can stop the chaos. We can turn the page. We can start to rebuild Britain, and change our country,” he declared.

Conservatives trailing

The reaction to a summer general election, which was not expected before October when Mr. Sunak would have completed three years in office as Prime Minister, has been mixed – with many Tory MPs fearful of losing their seats due to the anti-incumbency that has built up after 14 years of the party being in charge.

Almost every pre-election survey shows the governing Conservatives trailing behind Labour, which is holding a firm 20-point lead after securing decisive wins in the local elections held just earlier this month and seen as a sign of things to come.

“I am feeling quite emotional about all this. I was anticipating an autumn departure from Parliament and still had important issues to raise on behalf of my constituents between now and then. I am sad that I won’t now get to do that,” said Tracey Crouch, one of the backbench Tory MPs more vocal about the displeasure over the election timing.

“A great amount has been achieved over those 14 years and during this campaign, I look forward to speaking to voters about my record of delivery both locally and nationally,” said another backbench MP Priti Patel, who chose to be more positive.

Sunak’s gamble

Poll watchers believe that Mr. Sunak decided to take the gamble of an earlier election as he was convinced that nothing much would improve by the October-November timeline being pitched earlier. With inflation hitting a 2.3% mark this week, indicating an improvement in the cost-of-living crisis that has crippled the U.K. economy since the COVID pandemic, he decided to take the plunge into a trim six-week election campaign.

The economy will be the central plank of Sunak’s pitch to the nation, saying the inflation figures are “proof that the plan and priorities I set out are working”.

Immigration and investment in the defence sector will be some of his other key focus areas, claiming that the Opposition by contrast has no clear plan on these crucial issues.

The Labour Party, on the other hand, is on a slightly easier wicket with its focus being on how they plan to turn things around after the “chaos” of a Conservative Party-led government.

The British Parliament is now into just days of so-called “wash-up” when the government finalises and concludes non-contentious pieces of legislation before its dissolution next week. Under the timeline now set, a new Parliament is likely to be in place in the week following the election results on July 5.

Ballot papers are verified at Priory House in Chicksands, Bedfordshire, England, during the count for the Mid Bedfordshire by-election, on October 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s governing Conservatives suffered two crushing defeats in previously safe parliamentary seats on Friday, raising doubts about his party’s ability to win the general election expected next year.

The double defeat showed a dramatic slump in support for the Conservatives, who have won the last four national elections, and is only the third time that a British Prime Minister has lost two by-elections on the same day since 1991.

The main opposition Labour Party won the seat of Mid-Bedfordshire, an area about 80 km north of London, overturning a majority of almost 25,000, making it the biggest deficit the party has overcome in a by-election since 1945.

Labour also overturned a huge majority in another former Conservative stronghold, Tamworth, a largely rural constituency in central England, with the second largest swing between the two parties since World War Two.

“These are phenomenal results,” Labour leader Keir Starmer said in a statement. “Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it.”

Mr. Sunak, a 43-year-old former investment banker, has recently tried to cast himself as a bold reformer and no longer the cautious technocrat who restored some of Britain’s credibility after scandals and economic turmoil forced his two predecessors from office.

With voters angry over high inflation, economic stagnation, and long waiting times to use the state-run health service, Sunak is running out of time and opportunities to close the gap on Labour, who have enjoyed a double-digit polling lead over the Conservative for over a year.

A spokesman the Conservatives said the results had been difficult but governments usually struggle to win elections mid-term.

In a speech at his party’s conference this month, Mr. Sunak sought to cast himself as a bold reformer who was willing to take tough decisions to revive the economy.

Mr. Sunak announced plans to scrap a high-speed railway line that his predecessors had championed and had previously announced plans to water down the country’s net-zero commitments.

After the conference, polls showed Mr. Sunak had failed to significantly narrow the deficit with Labour, although his personal ratings improved marginally.

Overturning large majorities

Labour had played down its chances of winning either seat with Starmer’s spokesman saying this week his party had the same likelihood of a “moonshot”.

The contests in Mid-Bedfordshire and Tamworth were caused by the high-profile resignations of politicians close to former prime minister Boris Johnson.

The former minister Nadine Dorries quit her Mid-Bedfordshire seat after she failed to secure support for being appointed to the upper chamber of parliament.

The contest in Tamworth was triggered when another politician, Chris Pincher, resigned after he was suspended from parliament for groping men at a London club. The accusations against him contributed to the collapse of former prime minister Boris Johnson’s government.

Labour won the Mid-Bedfordshire seat with a majority of over 1,100 overturning a Conservative majority of 24,664 at the last general election in 2019.

The area had previously elected a Conservative member of parliament in every election since 1931.

In Tamworth, the Labour candidate Sarah Edwards won the seat with a majority of over 1,300, overturning the Conservative majority of 19,634 at the 2019 general election.=

Rishi Sunak heads to the Conservative Party’s conference this weekend with one aim: convincing Britain he can win the UK’s next general election. Many of his own lawmakers are already preparing for a scenario in which he doesn’t.

The prime minister has spent recent weeks trying to shore up his base. He’s rowed back on green measures in the name of reducing costs for ordinary Britons and mulled a reassessment of the HS2 high-speed rail link, the UK’s flagship infrastructure project.

But national polls suggest he won’t be Britain’s leader after an election that must be called by January 2025. The Labour Party has enjoyed a double-digit polling lead for more than a year. After a couple of recent polls appeared to show Sunak clawing back ground, YouGov this week gave Labour a 21-point advantage.

While Sunak, 43, appears to have suppressed for now the threat of an internal challenge, many Tories are working behind the scenes for a leadership run if the election goes badly, according to interviews with more than two dozen Conservative lawmakers, advisers and donors. There are at least 13 would-be contenders to watch out for, said the people, who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.

One Member of Parliament said the subplot of Tory conference — told in unsubtle speeches, fringe events and drinks at hotel bars — was the battle for the future of the party. Another told Bloomberg that Sunak was already a lame duck.

Sunak’s backers say his team is focused on making a success of his premiership and not getting distracted by events beyond their control. Allies of all the possible leadership hopefuls said they were working to support the prime minister and pushing for a Tory election win. Some Tories think Sunak could still pull off victory or stay on if Labour fail to secure an outright majority.

“Who replaces Rishi in the event of a defeat is going to depend in no small part on just how bad that defeat turns out to be,” said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, who has researched how the party’s post-election make-up will determine its leader.

Here’s who could run:

Kemi Badenoch

Sunak’s business secretary raised eyebrows among colleagues by holding a party in her office in the summer to celebrate the “benefits of Brexit,” serving English sparkling wine. Badenoch, 43, is currently the most popular Cabinet minister in a closely watched monthly survey of Tory members by the website ConservativeHome. She is also the bookmakers’ favorite, although she fell out with some pro-Brexit MPs earlier this year when she doused a so-called bonfire of legislation retained from European Union membership.

Liz Truss

For many Tories, giving Truss, 48, another chance is unthinkable, since her 49 days in office last year caused a market rout and cratered the Conservatives’ reputation. Yet she is determined to influence party politics and could consider standing for leader in opposition, three people close to her said. She inspires loyalty from a group of “pro-growth” MPs, and will speak at a sidelines conference event on Monday. Truss has said publicly she has no desire to be premier again.

Suella Braverman

The home secretary has long been seen as positioning herself as the figure who would take a harder line on immigration and culture issues, as shown by her speech in the US this week. Some in government think Braverman, 43, might resign if Sunak declines to support leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. Centrist Tories say they’ll do all they can to prevent her from making the leadership runoff. Some on the right argue she has relatively few MP supporters, and that serving Sunak has undermined her pitch.

James Cleverly

The foreign secretary is being urged to stand by some Conservatives who see him as a unity candidate. A Brexiteer, ally of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and early Truss backer, his appeal also extends to Tory moderates. Some have questioned whether Cleverly, 54, sees his long-term future in politics, though he’s described reports he could quit as “nonsense.”

Mordaunt, Tugendhat

Tory centrists are hopeful their wing can coalesce around one candidate, with Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat frequently mentioned. While Mordaunt, 50, is popular with the party grassroots, she came up short in two leadership runs last year. Her consolation prize was becoming leader of the House of Commons and getting a starring role at King Charles III’s coronation, wielding a ceremonial sword. Labour are now targeting her district. Tugendhat, the 50-year-old security minister, is an alternative candidate, though others suggest he and Mordaunt should endorse Cleverly to prevent a right-wing takeover.

Shapps, Gove

If the Tories lose the election badly, some in the party think they should back a more experienced leader, perhaps as a caretaker until a younger face is ready. Grant Shapps, 55 — now in his fifth cabinet role — has been boosted by his appointment as defense secretary, though his seat is also under threat. Michael Gove, 56, another cabinet veteran, is an ally of Badenoch, but never far from political intrigue and is regarded as one of the party’s best thinkers.

Patel, Rees-Mogg

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel, 51, is a rival of Braverman’s and some on the right think she could stand and split the right-wing vote. Former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, 54, is also tipped by some MPs who suspect he wants to be shadow chancellor under a right-wing leader. Both are allies of Johnson, who is out of politics now, but hasn’t ruled out a return. Longer shots include Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, 55, who some in No. 10 accused of having designs on Sunak’s job before coming under fire over crumbling concrete in schools. Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho, 38, is seen as a possible “continuity Sunak” candidate, though she is new to front-line politics. Some think pro-Brexit House of Lords peer David Frost, 58, might run for a Commons seat ahead of a leadership bid.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

What does the British Prime Minister discuss at the dinner table with his Indian parents-in-law? Is it Indian politics or the challenges of running Britain? Neither. It’s cricket.

“The most political we tend to get is in our discussion of cricket. I’ve agreed that my daughters can support India when it comes to cricket, as long as they support England when it comes to football!” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told PTI.

Mr. Sunak’s parents, both of Indian origin, came to the U.K. from east Africa. His wife Akshata Murty is the daughter of India’s billionaire tech czar Narayana Murthy and philanthropist and educator Sudha Murty.

In an interview via email days ahead of his visit to New Delhi to attend the G20 summit on September 9 and 10, Mr. Sunak said Wednesday the response from the Indian people to his appointment as the prime minister was “overwhelming and humbling.” “I am hugely proud of my Indian roots and my connections to India. As you know, my wife is Indian and being a proud Hindu means I will always have a connection to India and the people of India,” he said.

The 43-year-old leader of the Conservative Party was first elected as an MP in 2015. He was made finance minister or chancellor of exchequer in February 2020 by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In October last year, he became the first Indian-origin British prime minister, scripting history.

“One of the first things I did after becoming Prime Minister was to hold a reception for Diwali in Downing Street. Having the opportunity to welcome many British Indians into Number 10 and seeing the building decorated from top to bottom with lights and flowers was an incredibly proud and emotional moment for me,” Mr. Sunak said.

“Because my story is the story of so many people in Britain with deep and enduring links to India. The strength of our country lies in its diversity, and that’s something I have seen first-hand many times since becoming Prime Minister,” he said.

Asked whether he discusses Indian politics, technology or problems he faces in running Great Britain when he sits with his in-laws, Mr. Sunak said it is important to keep politics separate from family. “It’s very important to keep politics separate from family, but of course my wife and two daughters very much guide my values, as do my parents and parents-in-law.” “I am, though, incredibly proud of my parents-in-law and what they have achieved – going from nothing to building one of the world’s largest and most respected companies, which employs thousands of people in both India and in the U.K.,” he said.

“I want to create and lead a country where anyone can emulate the kind of success that they have had,” Mr. Sunak said.

“It is wonderful to be able to travel to India for the G20 with Akshata, and hopefully we will get a chance to visit some of the places we went to when we were younger – we’ll both be very busy the whole trip though!” Mr. Sunak said he is looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and deliberate on how collaboration between India and the U.K. helps in dealing with various global challenges.

“My ministerial colleagues who have visited India in the past year have all returned with a renewed enthusiasm for the UK-India partnership,” he said.

“Beyond the work of the G20 itself, it has been fantastic for so many people to see the breadth and depth of India by travelling all over the country for meetings and discovering the unique cultures on display all over India,” he added.

“When I meet Prime Minister Modi again this week it will be an opportunity to speak about some of the global challenges we face, and the huge role that the U.K. and India have to play in addressing them,” Mr. Sunak said.