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The Labour leader Keir Starmer is set to become the UK prime minister after 14 years of Conservative rule that set off generational shifts with UK's exit from European Union and a further decline of British geopolitical heft. The Labour party chief Keir Starmer is unseating Rishi Sunak as prime minister.

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Here's what this means for India-UK ties: 

Starting from where Rishi left

India and the UK are working to secure a free trade pact but the negotiations remain stalled in the 14th round due to summer of elections both in India and the UK. Now with new governments in both the capitals, the fifteenth round of negotiations is expected to begin in the coming future.

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The point of contention remains with the UK's ask for greater market access into the world's third biggest economy amid New Delhi's focus on protecting domestic players.

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The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would be a key inflection point for bilateral ties between the two countries and the last British prime ministers, Conservatives Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, were keen to be at the centre of the same.

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Boris even commented that India-UK FTA would be concluded by the Diwali of 2022 and that it would be signed upon a bilateral visit by the leaders of either country. But the domestic political storm after partygate scandal threw Johnson off British premiership and brought in Liz Truss to the Downing Street.

After Truss, Rishi Sunak too expected to finish off the negotiations either by September 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi or the Diwali of 2023. But the contentious issues could not be sorted and negotiations reached a halt as election season loomed in both the countries. 

Now Starmer just like his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, has full five years in power and that leaves a lot of room for negotiations and sorting out points of contention. In all likelihood, Starmer could helm over the defining moment of India-UK ties by being at the center of a Free Trade Agreement. 

What Keir Starmer's win means for India-UK ties?

During his campaign trail, Starmer has been vocal about his vision for robust UK-India relations spanning trade, technology, environment and security operation.

Labour's political calculus has British-Indian community making a crucial part of the demographic equation.

Also watch | Gravitas | Has Rishi Sunak's UK become a third world country?

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Setting the tone for the party's India-UK outlook at the India Global Forum (IGF) last year, Starmer had declared, "I have a clear message for you all today: this is a changed Labour Party. What my Labour government will seek with India is a relationship based on our shared values of democracy and aspiration."

A Labour win with Starmer could mean continuation of a stricter handling of anti-Hindu hate crimes in UK. Last week while visiting the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Kingsbury, Starmer had said "there is absolutely no place for Hinduphobia in Britain".

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While acknowledging the past missteps, including the Labour's perceived stance on the Kashmir conflict, Starmer has committed to eliminating any extremist views that could strain UK-India relations.

The Labour party is also expected to push hard in the visa negotiations.

The government may also look at immigration with bipartisan consensus on the need to reduce the same. Negotiations on temporary visas for Indian workers in the UK service industry may present a challenge for Labour.