India denies ‘baseless’ claims it has stalled trade deal talks with Britain over row about Sikh separatist attack on country’s high commission in London

• Supporters of the Khalistan movement staged violent protests last month

India today denied ‘baseless’ claims it had stalled trade talks with Britain over a row about Sikh separatist protests outside its high commission in London.

Supporters of the Khalistan movement – which seeks to create a homeland for Sikhs in the Punjab – last month staged demonstrations at the building in Aldwych.

Windows were broken and two members of security staff were injured, while police arrested a man on suspicion of violent disorder.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly condemned acts of violence against embassy staff and vowed to ‘robustly respond’ to the attacks.

But it has been claimed the Indian government wanted Britain to go further and publicly condemn the Khalistan movement.

This has supposedly seen New Delhi disengage from negotiations with Britain on a post-Brexit trade deal, while it awaits a stronger response. 

Yet, India’s foreign ministry this morning insisted trade talks had not been suspended and denied the ‘baseless’ report.

A source close to Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s Business and Trade Secretary, also dismissed the ‘nonsense’ claim. 

Supporters of the Khalistan movement – which seeks to create a homeland for Sikhs in the Punjab – last month staged demonstrations outside India’s high commission in London

It has been claimed the Indian government wanted Britain to go further and publicly condemn the Khalistan movement

Rishi Sunak (pictured with Indian PM Narendra Modi in November) has signalled he is taking a different approach to trade agreements and said he would not ‘sacrifice quality for speed’

The UK and India have a £29billion trading relationship that both sides are seeking to boost further through the signing of a free trade deal.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson had aimed to get an agreement done by last October, but that deadline passed withouth a deal being signed.

After becoming PM, Rishi Sunak signalled he was taking a different approach to trade agreements and said he would not ‘sacrifice quality for speed’ in striking deals.

An eighth round of trade talks between Britain and India took place between 20 and 31 March.

According to The Times, a row over Sikh separatist protests in London is among several problems to have slowed negotiations.

A Whitehall source told the newspaper: ‘India has said they don’t want to speak about trade, they don’t want to do trade negotiations because they think it’s part of a wider problem of us not taking the attack against the Indian high commission and the wider Sikh separatist movement seriously.

‘Indians don’t want to talk about trade until they get a very public demonstration of condemnation of Khalistan extremism in the UK.

‘I wouldn’t underestimate the strength of feeling on this. They’re expecting the Government to say something on Sikh extremism before they come back to the table seriously.’

It has also been claimed that visa conditions for Indians working in the UK, a critical BBC documentary about Indian PM Narendra Modi, and comments by Home Secretary Suella Braverman about Indians outstaying their UK visas have all contributed to the slow-going of trade talks.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: ‘Both the UK and India are committed to delivering an ambitious and mutually beneficial free trade agreement and concluded the latest round of trade talks last month.

‘The Foreign Secretary has condemned the recent acts of violence at the Indian High Commission, and we are working with the Metropolitan Police to review security and make changes to ensure the safety of its staff.’

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