India cancels UK delegation visit

 India cancels UK delegation visit – media — RT World News - March 25

A visit of a high-ranking UK delegation to India, consisting of members of different political parties and led by House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, was called off at the last moment by the Indian authorities, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

According to the article, the delegation of 10 high-ranking British officials had been in discussions with India since January and had plans to visit New Delhi and Rajasthan. The original goal of the delegation was reportedly to discuss a UK-India free trade deal, but the objective changed in the context of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. The delegates were planning to persuade New Delhi to take a tougher stance towards Moscow, The Guardian says.

It was reported that the Indian High Commission changed its decision and raised objections at the last minute. It is unclear whether the Indian officials had issues with individual members of the delegation or were concerned in general about the British Parliament members that sought to persuade the Indian prime minister to take action against Russia, The Guardian reports.

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Last week, the UK representatives expressed disappointment over India’s neutral position towards Russia, but expressed hope that its views would change, as the nation continues to be a major trading partner for the UK. 

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