The three-day trade mission is intended to send a strong signal about the government’s priority for post-Brexit trade deals. During the visit May will meet with the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, to discuss strengthening links between the UK and India and encourage further inward investment in the UK. The minister denied such a deal would entail the UK leaving the EU single market and customs union. Hands, who was born in the US, said May was keen to stress the UK’s commitment to free trade especially given some of the protectionist language emerging from Donald Trump’s election campaign. “I’m a bit worried by some of the rhetoric that’s been, to be honest, on both camps about free trade,” he said.

Source: The Guardian October 16, 2016 15:38 UTC