David Lammy says AI and talent mobility key pillars

New Delhi: United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy on Thursday said the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would serve as a "fantastic foundation" for expanding technology cooperation and unlock £25 billion in investments, adding that AI and talent mobility would be "key pillars of the growing partnership" between the two countries.

When asked about how the free trade agreement would strengthen tech cooperation, he said that the tech security initiative was signed during his earlier tenure as Foreign Secretary in 2025.

"I was very pleased to sign the tech security initiative when I was foreign secretary back in 2025 here in India, and we built on that arrangement. The free trade agreement is a fantastic foundation. 25 billion pounds worth of investment between our two countries over the next period is something that we can build on," Lammy told ANI on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 here.

"But clearly, in AI, which absolutely is the future, and also countries concerned about sovereignty, we have a mutual relationship of trust between our countries built over many, many years. We have powerful people-to-people links. It's what we build on to pioneer as we move forward," he added.

Stressing that artificial intelligence represents the future of innovation, the UK Deputy Prime Minister further stated that both countries, which share concerns around technological sovereignty, can leverage long-standing trust and strong people-to-people ties to deepen collaboration.

Speaking on the issue of facilitating greater movement of Indian professionals to the UK, Lammy highlighted new talent initiatives aimed at "attracting top-tier Indian expertise". (ANI)

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