Rishi Sunak Meets PM Modi; Hails India’s Energy, Calls India-UK Partnership “Hugely Promising”

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lauded India's "energy and ambition" and the potential for deeper UK-India partnerships in a social media post following his participation in the NDTV World Summit 2025 on October 18, 2025. Sunak, reconnecting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the two-day event held at Bharat Mandapam, highlighted discussions on AI, infrastructure, global growth, and economic resilience. "India's energy and ambition are unmistakable. As new ideas and industries emerge, there's huge potential for deeper partnerships between countries like the UK and India in business, technology and education," he wrote, underscoring the "hugely promising" bilateral relationship amid a recently concluded India-UK trade agreement.

During a session Sunak reflected on the erosion of post-Cold War globalisation, declaring the "old global order... is gone, and I don't think it is coming back." He emphasised a shift toward multipolarity, with India exemplifying this trend alongside a global focus on domestic capabilities, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic's exposure of supply chain vulnerabilities.

Sunak credited the crisis as a "geopolitical event" prompting self-reliance, while critiquing China's non-conventional trade practices involving security risks and intellectual property issues, which led the UK to ban Huawei and enact national security laws. He also celebrated India's startup surge, noting it has overtaken the UK in unicorn companies, attributing this to Modi's visionary leadership and initiatives like the FinTech Bridge linking London and Mumbai for collaboration in finance, healthcare, and education.

Sunak's appearance at the summit, themed "Edge of the Unknown", aligns with his personal ties to India; born in 1980 in Southampton to parents of East African-Indian descent, he became the UK's first prime minister of Indian origin from October 2022 to July 2024. Married to Akshata Murthy, daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and philanthropist Sudha Murty, Sunak has consistently advocated for stronger bilateral ties, including in security and science. The event featured PM Modi as the keynote speaker, who hailed India's economic rise from "fragile five" to top global economies, reinforcing mutual optimism for cooperation in a multipolar world.

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The summit convened global leaders, including former Australian PM Tony Abbott and cricketing icons Kapil Dev and Ajit Agarkar, to discuss innovation, risk, and renewal amid geopolitical shifts. Sunak's remarks and post reflect ongoing momentum in UK-India relations post-trade deal, potentially fostering investments and joint ventures. As democracies navigate strategic dependencies, such dialogues highlight opportunities for aligned nations to counterbalance influences like China, with experts viewing the partnership as vital for economic resilience and technological advancement in uncertain times.

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