UK PM Keir Starmer Honored with ‘Living Bridge’ Award for FTA

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) honored UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer with the ‘Living Bridge’ Award for the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was honored with the ‘Living Bridge’ Award for the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
• This award is presented at a ceremony held in the House of Lords in London on September 23, 2025, to individuals and organizations who make significant contributions to strengthening bilateral relations.
• On behalf of Starmer, the award was accepted by Seema Malhotra, Minister of India-Pacific Affairs of Indian origin in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

‘Living Bridge’ Honor

• Organized annually by the India Business Group (IBG), the Living Bridge Awards honor those who act as symbolic ‘Living Bridges’ between India and the UK and enhance cooperation in fields such as trade, education, culture, and diplomacy. This year marks the fourth edition of these awards.

Other Winners

• In the annual Living Bridge Awards organized by the UK-based strategic advisory firm India Business Group (IBG), New Delhi-based multinational GMR Group, British-Indian businessman G. P. Hinduja, Bina Mehta, Chairperson of KPMG UK, and the University of Southampton were honored for their role in bringing India and the UK closer in various fields.
• Each recipient was honored for their efforts to build sustainable partnerships in various fields in line with India’s global outreach and the UK’s post-Brexit economic strategy.
• The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), is expected to complete the UK’s parliamentary ratification process by next year and aims to double bilateral trade to 120 billion USD by 2030.