The India-UK free trade agreement, signed last month, opens India’s vast government procurement market to UK suppliers, offering access to 40,000 high-value tenders worth £38bn. This unprecedented move allows UK businesses to bid in strategic sectors previously protected from foreign competition.

• UK firms from now on can supply to the Indian government even if they have only 20% domestic input, allowing sourcing of up to 80% of parts from other countries.
• Trade experts at the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) highlight the agreement's significance, stating it sets a new benchmark for opening the Indian market.
• However, challenges such as preferential treatment for Indian Class-I suppliers, higher pricing by UK companies, and India's legacy issues of delayed payments and difficult contract enforcement, ranked 163 out of 190 in contract enforcement by the World Bank in 2020, loom for UK businesses.