The UK and India have a deep and wide relationship, which is strengthening and impacting on critical issues such as trade, development, education, defence and security, and healthcare. As well as the breadth and richness of areas of collaboration, what really makes the relationship so exciting and the opportunities so vast is the people.
Prime Minister Modi certainly hit the mark when he coined the phrase “the Living Bridge” to describe the close, deep and wide people-to-people connections between India and the UK. Millions of people move between the UK and India every year – for a variety of reasons: tourism, business, education, visits home to see friends and family, and all else in between. This movement – of ideas, relationships, networks – is a really strong foundation for an expanding bilateral relationship like the UK and India’s.
In recent weeks, we have seen the living bridge’s symbolic manifestation in Rishi Sunak’s run to become the UK Prime Minister, and a practical measure taken by our governments that will enlarge and strengthen it in the shape of Mutual Recognition of Qualifications.
The agreement between our Governments for the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications is hugely positive for the people-to-people connect between our countries. Not only will MRQs help to strengthen linkages between British and Indian universities, it is a pivotal reform for students, graduates and employers.
Students and graduates will be able to seamlessly transition between our countries for studies, and then access a broader range of jobs. The bridge of skills between our countries will grow as a result, and universities and higher education institutions will cement new partnerships and research collaborations.
The benefits go beyond education links. Indeed, we at the UKIBC believe that MRQ will spur bilateral trade, investment flows and the movement of people, resulting in more jobs and prosperity in both countries.
The UK and India are, of course, currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement, which seeks to grow trade, investment and collaboration between our two countries. As the 5th and 6th largest economies in the world, a UK-India FTA would help to create significant opportunities for both economies by making it easier for businesses to trade and invest within the UK-India corridor, building on the more than 550-strong UK businesses invested in India employing more than 400,000 people, and over 850 Indian companies in the UK employing over 95,000. Reducing the barriers to trade and cooperation would help to create more jobs, develop industry in both countries, and contribute to economic development.
MRQ has been an objective for businesses, students and universities for a long time. The UKIBC, through our government connections, have advocated for this reform for several years, including in our 2019 UKIBC report, ‘Higher Education Collaboration: Futureproofing the UK India Partnership’ and more recently in FTA submissions to both Governments.
We have already seen significant growth in the number of Indian students coming to the UK in recent years. In 2020/2021, the UK welcomed 84,555 Indian students to the UK (the second most of any nationality), and MRQs will do much to sustain the positive momentum. This point has been recognised by Dr Athulya Aravind, Regional Director, South Asia at the University of Edinburgh, who described the MRQ Agreement as a “significant enabler for mobility and joint study programmes for institutions in both countries".
The Bridge is a well-trodden route for Indian students coming to the UK, and long may this continue and expand. However, what I think would show that the MRQ Agreement has really succeeded is that more and more young people from the UK go to study and work in India, making the Living Bridge a busy two-way route.
As well as the trade and investment statistics, there are immeasurable intangible benefits that result from lifelong friendships and connections.
Kevin McCole, Managing Director, leads the Advocacy, Advisory, Membership, Communications and Research teams. He also leads the UKIBC’s relationships with Government bodies across the UK and India, including the UK’s Devolved Administrations, Department for International Trade, and Indian States. Kealan Finnegan, Manager is responsible for Policy and Advocacy and leads on Communications and plays a key role in UKIBC submissions to the UK and Indian Governments.
