India and the United Kingdom are set to begin their free trade agreement on July 15, following a breakthrough that resolves a prior deadlock over steel trade. The deal removes tariffs on 99% of Indian exports, with expected benefits for sectors including textiles, footwear, gems and jewellery, and engineering. By addressing steel concerns, the agreement is designed to provide more balanced market access between the two sides.
In parallel, the two countries’ social security pact is also scheduled to come into effect on July 15. The arrangement is intended to protect short-term UK and India-based workers from being subject to double taxation on social security contributions, providing clearer rules for expatriates.
Additional impacts reported include lower duties for some UK imports, such as Scotch, and reduced import costs for certain categories including automobiles and cosmetics. The overall implementation timing is consistently reported across sources as July 15.
