India’s prime minister could attend the Commonwealth Games in Scotland next month after a meeting with Yvette Cooper on her visit to Delhi.
The Foreign Secretary handed Narendra Modi a letter of invitation to the tournament in Glasgow on behalf of the event organisers as she met him for talks on global security and trade in the Indian capital on Thursday.
The Games are due to open with a ceremony on July 23 and run until August 2.
The competition in Glasgow – thought to be the birthplace of the chicken tikka masala – will be followed by the 2030 Games hosted by India in Ahmedabad.
The Foreign Secretary said: “I’m delighted that India will carry the baton forward from Glasgow 2026 to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.
“These are after all the ‘friendly games’ and we will work closely together on a strong handover to what I’m sure will be another outstanding games in India.”
Her talks in the Indian capital with Mr Modi and her counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar focused on “the final stages of work to implement the groundbreaking free-trade agreement” between the two countries as well as cooperation on maritime security amid ongoing escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, she said.
She also discussed the case of jailed Briton Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, amid calls from his family and his MP for his release to be secured, insisting afterwards that a “swift resolution” was needed as “this has gone on far too long” and vowing to continue raising it in discussions with India.
Ahead of the anniversary next week of the Air India crash that killed 241 people including 52 Britons and 169 Indian passengers, Ms Cooper said she also discussed an as-yet unpublished review by the Indian authorities into the disaster.
Asked whether she had pressed for the final report to be released quickly as families wait for answers, she told the Press Association: “We have discussed the Air India report today – we’ve also discussed this terrible tragedy and the support for families in the UK and here in India.
“I don’t think this gets any easier for families, even after nearly a year, they have no answers about what happened and also to lose a loved one in the most appalling of crashes – so it’s vital obviously for families to be able to get answers, and we discussed the report that is due to come out soon.”
Following the talks at the conclusion of a three-day visit to Asia, the Foreign Secretary said: “India is the fastest growing and one of the largest economies in the world so it’s really important that we can build this trading relationship but also strengthen our cooperation on security as well, especially at this deeply unstable time across the world.”