PM urges India to invest in the UK
Thursday 29 July 2010
Government ministers and business leaders from India and the UK have taken part in a summit to discuss opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries.
Government ministers and business leaders from India and the UK have taken part in a summit to discuss opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries.
Prime Minister David Cameron, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Chancellor George Osborne and a number of Indian government ministers attended the summit in Delhi, India, this morning.
- Listen to a Q&A with the PM at the summit
Mr Cameron told delegates that Britain’s universities, strong science sector, and expertise in defence and civil nuclear power were among the reasons that other countries should consider investing in the UK.
The PM added:
“I think we bring a lot of those things in terms of expertise that we can share with you, but the one-minute advert for investing back in Britain is we have the English language, we have a time zone between America and Asia, we have access to European markets, we have a highly trained workforce and, as I’ve said, we’re one of the most open and welcoming economies.”
Earlier, the PM had taken part in a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace in Delhi and held a meeting with President Pratibha Patil.
Mr Cameron also laid a wreath at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi and had a series of meetings including with Vice President Ansari and Ratan Tata, chairman of India’s largest corporation Tata Group.
Following the summit, the PM visited the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games Hockey Stadium and had talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, where UK and Indian representatives signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation.
In a joint press conference following the meeting, Mr Cameron said:
“I believe we have made tremendous progress with this relationship already. I believe there is much, much more to come and, after this visit, I feel even more enthusiastic than I did when I put into our manifesto then into the Queen’s Speech how we wanted to build this very special relationship with India. And I, for one, cannot wait to come back again and make further progress in this, an important and winning relationship for both our countries.”
- Listen to the press conference with Prime Minister Singh
The PM travelled to Delhi on the second leg of a visit to India. Yesterday, he was in Bangalore where he gave a speech calling for a stronger relationship between Britain and India.
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