Labour’s so-called “landmark” trade deal with India is already revealing itself as an act of economic self-sabotage—a triumph of PR over policy, and of global capital over the British worker.
Despite the fanfare, the government’s figures lay bare the underwhelming reality: by 2040, this agreement is expected to raise GDP by just £4.8 billion annually, equivalent to a mere 0.1% of our current economy. For comparison, even a basic customs agreement with the EU would yield a 2.2% uplift. Isn’t it odd that Sir Keir Starmer—who never tires of praising Brussels—couldn’t, or wouldn’t, secure a deal that put Britain’s neighbours ahead of outsourcing to Asia?
Ministers boast that trade with India will rise by £25.5 billion annually by 2040. However, since bilateral trade already stands at £42.6 billion, the projected growth doubles the current figure over fifteen years. That’s not transformation—it’s stagnation disguised as strategy.
A Tax Break for Multinationals, Not a Deal for Britain
Beneath the surface lies a deeper betrayal.
The UK has agreed to a three-year national insurance holiday for Indian nationals on intra-company transfers and the multinationals that send them here. Meanwhile, British firms and their employees continue paying up to 15% in employer NI contributions. This creates a two-tier tax system where British workers are priced out by imported labour incentivised through state-sanctioned tax breaks.
Why would any cost-cutting corporation hire local staff when they can import cheaper labour and skip the tax bill?
Mass Mobility for Niche Professions
The deal also includes relaxed visa arrangements for so-called “independent professionals”—including 1,800 per year for chefs, yoga instructors, and musicians, with no fixed cap on total numbers. Ask your neighbours: Were they demanding more yoga instructors, or are they wondering why they can’t get a GP appointment, find an NHS dentist, or keep up with rising utility bills?
This isn’t about unmet demand. It’s about cultural optics and corporate convenience, not national interest.
Our Producers Pay While Global Investors Profit
British manufacturers and farmers are set to lose out. The deal slashes tariffs on Indian imports such as textiles, footwear, frozen prawns, etc. Yet our most vital exports—financial and legal services—were excluded from substantive commitments. Even the Law Society branded the agreement a “missed opportunity”.
And they’re right. Labour didn’t negotiate a trade deal. They delivered a handout: no binding quotas, no meaningful safeguards, and no protections for British jobs.
Britain Deserves Better
If we are serious about rebuilding a national economy that serves its people, not global finance, then we need leadership that prioritises British workers.
That means fair trade, not corporate concessions.
That means tax justice, not loopholes for multinationals.
That means sovereign policy, not bend-the-knee diplomacy in Delhi.
Britain deserves more than handshakes abroad and handouts for foreign firms. It deserves a trade policy anchored in self-respect—trade that defends British jobs, wages, and sovereignty.
The Homeland Party stands for a principled alternative. One rooted in economic realism, national dignity, and the moral obligation to protect our own.
