'This Is The Prime Minister': UK PM Keir Starmer Surprises British Airways Co-Passengers From Cockpit On Maiden India Visit – Video

New Delhi: British PM Keir Starmer began his maiden India visit on an unusual note as his British Airways flight took off from London to Mumbai.

A video clip showed Starmer greeting passengers by stating: “This is the Prime Minister. I’m in the cockpit.. This is the biggest trade mission to India that the UK has ever sent. I’m looking forward to working with you as we explore all the opportunities in our new free trade agreement.”

PM Modi's Tweet

PM Modi welcomed him on his "historic first visit to India". "Looking forward to our meeting tomorrow for advancing our shared vision of a stronger, mutually prosperous future," Modi posted on X.

About The Visit

Starmer, who is on a two-day visit with a 125-strong business delegation, first went to Yash Raj Film studio in Mumbai and also participated in a football event. Starmer then settled back into traditional diplomacy as he prepared to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The meeting was in preparation for talks with Modi, where both leaders will take stock of progress in diverse aspects of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with ‘Vision 2035.’

The British PM had made it clear that trade would be the focus of the visit, as he landed in Mumbai with a 125-strong business delegation. The British delegates will look to focus on opportunities presented by the recently signed trade agreement that aims to double bilateral trade to nearly $100 billion by 2030. However, it is still subject to the scrutiny of the British Parliament, with the House of Lords International Agreements Committee having launched an inquiry on September 10.

According to Lord Goldsmith, chair of the committee, the focus will be on potential benefits and risks for the UK, the implications for the UK-India relationship, and the wider geopolitical context of the agreement. But that has not dampened enthusiasm on India’s side. Ambassador Ruchi Ghanashyam, former High Commissioner to the UK, states that while the deal “provides an ambitious roadmap to deepen the economic and trade relationship in the medium and long term,” there are some issues that need to be ironed out. “We are yet to see easing of visas from the UK side, but important agreements covering migration and mobility and social security contribution of Indian people working in the UK are definitely steps in the right direction. I believe there is a logic to stronger bilateral ties between India and UK, and governments in both countries recognise that.”

The visa issue has become a slight point of friction in the India-UK relationship. Starmer made clear in an interaction with reporters in Mumbai that the visa issue would not be discussed during his visit. This came as no surprise to Rahul RoyChaudhury, Senior Fellow for South and Central Asian Defence, Strategy and Diplomacy, at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) a UK-based think-tank. “Immigration has become a significant political issue in the UK, with a large anti-immigration rally taking place recently in London. This is expected to become a major electoral issue in the local elections next summer (2026) and the subsequent general elections in the summer of 2029, in which the Labour party could lose to right-wing political parties. There is therefore a stiff crackdown on illegal immigration in the UK, alongside the prospective curtailment of legal migration in order to overcome this anti-immigration sentiment.”

Starmer and Modi will also participate in the CEO forum and Global Fintech Fest 2025 on Thursday. On India’s concerns about Sikh extremism, experts believe that the Starmer government has disproved expectations by Sikh separatists that the Labour government would empathise with their cause. “There is now greater awareness within the British government over their detrimental impact in the UK, and a clear concern to ensure that it does not result in a situation similar to those in parts of Canada and the US,” said Roy Chaudhury.

Ghanashyam said that while the two sides would no doubt remain engaged on the subject, it was important not to blow the issue out of proportion. “For Sikh separatists, I have always held that they are a small group of people and do not represent the majority view of the Sikh community in the UK."