Jeremy Hunt says it's 'hard to imagine' UK could offer more visas to India to secure post-Brexit trade deal

Sign up to receive the email View from Westminster for expert analysis straight to your inbox Receive our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address I would like to receive offers, events and updates by email day from The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later.{{ /verifyErrors }}

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has all but ruled out the UK opening its visa system to Indian students and workers to secure a much-anticipated post-Brexit free trade deal .

Speaking in New Delhi, where Mr Hunt was engaged in trade talks with his Indian counterpart on Monday, Mr Hunt told The Independent that he was "It's hard to imagine how much more we could give on this front."

The issue of visas for Indian nationals wishing to work and study in the UK has long been seen as a sticking point in the negotiations on a trade deal and the Diwali 2022 deadline set by the former Prime Minister. Minister Boris Johnson was left out after Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she feared a deal would lead to an “open borders migration policy with India”. p>

Now the UK's position appears to have hardened further, with a number 10. The spokesperson told reporters last week that "to be very clear, there are no plans to change our immigration policy to achieve this free trade deal."

The Independent understands that visas were not one of the main points of discussion between Mr Hunt and Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her brief visit to New Delhi.

And the issue certainly did not seem to have any impact on Indian Prime Minister Rishi's warm welcome Sunak from Indian Narendra. Modi at the G20 summit this weekend, where Mr Sunak spoke enthusiastically about being an example of a "living bridge" between the two countries and where the final details of the trade deal were discussed in bilateral negotiations .

Narendra Modi hugs Rishi Sunak as he arrives at the G20 summit in Delhi

(Pool /AFP/Getty)

The Indian government's envoy to London, Vikram Doraiswami, told Times Radio last week: "We never said that visas were part of our request."< /p>

Mr. Hunt suggested there was no possibility. to offer more visas to Indians "given that the move to a points-based system has led to a sharp increase in the number of visas granted to Indian workers."

“I believe that Indians are [already] the only largest nationalities for student visas. The United Kingdom grants a lot of visas, which creates a living bridge...