Boris Johnson travelling to India aiming to increase defence ties
The Prime Minister will go to India next week in a visit aimed at deepening a long-term partnership and boosting defence ties.
Boris Johnson will begin his visit in Ahmedabad on Thursday 21 April, where he will meet leading businesses to discuss commercial, trade, and people links between the UK and India.
This will be the first time a UK Prime Minister has visited Gujarat, India's fifth-largest state and the ancestral home of around half of the UK's British-Indian population.
Mr Johnson will then travel to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
The leaders are expected to discuss the strategic defence, diplomatic and economic partnerships between their two countries, with the aim of stepping up security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Johnson said: "As we face threats to our peace and prosperity from autocratic states, it is vital that democracies and friends stick together.
"India, as a major economic power and the world's largest democracy, is a highly valued strategic partner for the UK in these uncertain times.
"My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations – from job creation and economic growth, to energy security and defence.
The UK's Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, last year set sail to India on its maiden operational deployment in what Defence Secretary Ben Wallace described as allowing defence relations with India to "flourish".
Last year, the Mr Johnson and Mr Modi agreed to a UK-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, announcing more than £530m in investment into the UK and committing to a deeper bilateral relationship across trade, health, climate, defence and security.
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