In September 2025, Prime Minister (PM) of United Kingdom (UK), Keir Starmer, has been awarded the “Living Bridge Award” by the India Business Group (IBG) in recognition of his significant role in strengthening India-UK relations by advancing the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), during a ceremony at the House of Lords in London, UK.
- The Living Bridge Awards 2025, marking their fourth edition, was accepted by Seema Malhotra, Minister for the Indo-Pacific in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), on behalf of PM Keir Starmer.
Exam Hints:
- What? “Living Bridge” award 2025 was conferred
- Who? UK PM Keir Starmer
- Receiver: Seema Malhotra on behalf of PM Keir Starmer
- Recognition: For advancing India-UK FTA
- Presenter: IBG
- Other Recipients : GMR Group, G.P. Hinduja, Bina Mehta (Chair of KPMG), University of Southampton
About Living Bridge Awards:
Presenter: The Living Bridge Awards are presented annually by the IBG to individuals and organizations, who have made significant contributions to strengthening the relationship between India and the UK, particularly in areas such as trade, investment, education, business, cultural, and social ties.
Recognition: It serves as a platform to recognize and celebrate those who act as bridges between India and the UK, facilitating closer ties.
2025 Awardee: Alongside UK PM Keir Starmer, the 2025 IBG Living Bridge Awards recognised several other individuals and organisations for their contributions to India-UK relations.
- The honourees include Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao (GMR) Group for its impact on infrastructure and business; G.P. Hinduja, Chairperson of the Hinduja Group; Bina Mehta, Chair of Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), UK; and the University of Southampton for fostering academic and cultural ties between the two countries.
About Keir Starmer:
Legal Career: He began as a human rights barrister in 1987, co-founded Doughty Street Chambers in 1990, was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002, and served as Director of Public Prosecutions (2008–2013).
Political Career: Elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras in 2015 (Labour Party), he served as Shadow Minister for Immigration (2015–2016) and Shadow Secretary for Exiting the European Union (EU)(2016–2020). In 2020, he became Labour Party leader.
Prime Minister(PM): In 2024, he became the 58th UK PM, implementing housing and infrastructure reforms, raising the minimum wage, strengthening workers’ rights, investing 14.2 billion pounds in the Sizewell C nuclear project, and signed a United States of America (USA)–UK FTA.
India-UK FTA:
Finalization: The India-UK FTA, officially called as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), was finalized on 24 July 2025. The deal was concluded after three years of negotiations.
Taxes: Under the CETA, the UK will gradually remove custom duties on Indian goods over the period of 7 years, covering about 99.6% of Indian exports. India will remove or reduce tariffs on around 90% of UK exports in over 10 years.
Aim: CETA aims to double bilateral trade to USD 120 billion by 2030.
About United Kingdom (UK):
Prime Minister (PM) – Keir Starmer
Capital – London
Currency – Pound Sterling, GBP
