The prime minister has suggested a relaxation of immigration for Indian citizens could be on the horizon.
His remarks come as the prime minister visits New Delhi in hope of softening his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi towards a free trade agreement.
Quizzed by journalists ahead of the visit, Johnson argued that there was a “massive shortage” of skilled workers across UK tech.
“We are aiming for an FTA (free trade agreement) by the end of the year,” he explained.
“On immigration I’ve always been in favour of having people coming to this country.
“We have a massive shortage in the UK, not least in experts in IT and programmers. We’re short to the tune of hundreds of thousands in our economy,” he went on.
Johnson will also announce a raft of commercial agreements and hail a new era in the UK and India’s trade, investment and technology partnership, as he arrives in Gujarat today for the start of a two-day visit to India.
The prime minister will use his visit to India to boost our collaboration with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, slashing trade barriers for UK businesses and driving jobs and growth at home.
UK and Indian businesses will confirm more than £1 billion in new investments and export deals today in areas from software engineering to health, creating almost 11,000 jobs across the UK.
Prime minister Boris Johnson said: “As I arrive in India today, I see vast possibilities for what our two great nations can achieve together. From next-generation 5G telecoms and AI to new partnerships in health research and renewable energy – the UK and India are leading the world.
“Our powerhouse partnership is delivering jobs, growth and opportunities for our people, and it will only go from strength-to-strength in the coming years.”
The Prime Minister will visit a new factory being opened by a top British firm in Gujarat, as well as a biotechnology university working in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh.
The UK will confirm major new science and tech collaboration, including a Digital Health partnership and a joint investment fund for Indian deep-tech and AI start-ups, supported by the UK and Indian governments; new AI scholarships for Indian students jointly funded by the UK government’s Chevening programme and India’s Adani Group; and a £6m investment from AI healthcare specialists Qure-ai to open a Centre of Excellence in the UK.
As he moves on to New Delhi on Friday, the Prime Minister will also use this week’s visit to drive progress in negotiations on the landmark UK-India free trade agreement, which is expected to help double our trade and investment by 2030. Negotiating teams will hold their third round of formal talks in India next week.
Work is already progressing on cutting red tape for businesses following the UK-India Enhanced Trade Partnership launched by both Prime Ministers last year, and today our governments will announce new measures to make it easier to export UK-made medical devices to India. This will support UK jobs and create opportunities for British med-tech companies like Redcar-based Micropore Technologies to sell their lifesaving products in India, an import market worth £2.4bn.
