Lord Karan Bilimoria hails from the third generation of his family to be educated in the UK from India. “On both sides, both my grandpa's grandfather studied in the UK. My mother, my uncle and I came in the early 1980s. At that time in the early 1980s, the UK was looked upon as a failing country and the sick man of Europe and India was looked upon as a country that was protected inward looking insular. So neither country was doing well at that time. Look at where we are today. The UK and India are now the fifth and sixth largest economies in the world,” he told Asian Voice.
According to him, the UK with just 1% of the world's population excels in many fields from being the second largest services exporter in the world to London being one of the top two financial centres in the world with advanced manufacturing and creative industries, professional services, the best universities in the world along with the United States of America, four out of the top 10 universities in the world are British universities. “So the UK is doing exceedingly well and has done exceedingly well as a country,” he said.
Speaking further about changing perception of India, Lord Bilimoria said, “Look at where India is today - an emerging global economic superpower where the rest of the world is suffering. Next year, India is projected to be the fastest-growing major economy in the world. So it is wonderful to see where both countries are today and our relationship is a special relationship we talk about having a special relationship between the UK and the United States of America. I always say we have another special relationship and that is the UK and India.
“And I have personally seen this firsthand over almost two decades since I was appointed as the co-chair of the Indo-British partnership by the British government. And my fellow co-chair, Indian co-chair was Narayan Murthy. This was in 2003. With the UK India Business Council, I've seen now that the ties between our two countries are stronger than ever and the potential is stronger than ever.”
According to him, if we look at the Living Bridge that exists, the 1.5 million people of Indian origin who live in the UK, the largest ethnic minority diaspora in the UK and the most successful ethnic minority diaspora by r&d, it's now at the top in every field in the UK. “You just have to look at the Cabinet table to see the Chancellor, the Home Secretary, the Attorney General, the COP 26, cabinet minister, all of Indian origin and the Home Secretary. So it is it's phenomenal,” he added.
He also stated that in both Houses of Parliament, a number of members of the House of Lord members of the House of Commons are of Indian origin. We are excelling in sport, and we're excelling in academia. For example, the new Dean of the Oxford Said Business School. “I'm a fellow of Oxford University. I could go on Amartya Sen, of course, the Nobel laureate was a master of Trinity College Cambridge. And so, Indians have done extremely well in the UK and some and they are living bridge between the United Kingdom and an India and of course, the trade potential,” Lord Bilimoria told the newsweekly.
He further added, “This year is a milestone year. We are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement between the UK and India for the first time ever, and we've already signed an enhanced Trade Partnership last year. This year. We started January, the Free Trade Agreement negotiations because the trade between the two countries is only 24 billion pounds and goods and services both ways today, it should be multi-fold that figure and the target is to at least double trade between our two countries by 2030. I think we can do much more. I think the Free Trade Agreement will be a huge, huge milestone and a huge benefit to both countries to enhance trade, business and investment bilaterally, both ways between the UK and India. The target is to finish that at least by the end of this year. So I'm very confident and as President of the Confederation of British Industry for the last few years. Just recently I've been playing a part in helping that free trade agreement conclude.”
When asked whether Rishi Sunak will potentially become the first Asian Prime Minister of the UK of Indian origin, Lord Karan Bilimoria said, “I have said I'm one of the first people I said in 2003 when I won the Asian of the Year Award, that there will be an Asian as prime minister in my lifetime. And we have Rishi Sunak, now, as one of the last in the last in final to be Prime Minister in a month's time. I mean, this is amazing. I still firmly believe that that will happen. That we will have a nation we will have an Indian origin. Individual who will be prime minister of this country in my lifetime.”
Lord Bilimoria believes that both India and the UK are ancient countries with centuries of history. And yet India is a young country. It is only 75 years old. “The potential that I firmly believe is a potential for India is just huge. India is on the move. Britain is perfectly placed to partner with India on the move moving forward together to our mutual benefit, helping each other forward. Going forward with our people with this Living Bridge, helping this wonderful relationship build forward from strength to strength,” he signed off.
