The UK is looking forward to secure a new trade deal with India and work more closely with business communities as it prepares to leave the EU, said Priti Patel, the first Indian-origin minister in the British Cabinet.

Patel, the Secretary of State for International Development, expressed confidence that the “flourishing” relationship between India and the UK will be further strengthened under the “inspirational” leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as she hosted the annual No 10 Downing Street Diwali celebrations in London last evening.

“The Indian government — led by the inspirational Prime Minister Modi — has been such a great friend to Britain. Prime Minister Modi has shown great leadership in India over the last three years and has re-affirmed India’s place as a modern and world leading power,” said Patel, who stepped in to lead the event as Prime Minister Theresa May was holding a crucial Brexit meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels. “The Prime Minister is in Brussels negotiating to secure our future and get a brilliant deal for us. And as Britain leaves the EU and embraces the global opportunities that await us as a free, independent and sovereign country, we will look to India to secure a new trade deal and work more closely with business, communities and the government of India,” said Patel, the Conservative Party MP for Witham.

The senior-most Indian-origin politician in the UK government described the growth of India’s middle-class and consumer base as “unprecedented in modern human history” and stressed that she wants Britain to be India’s “first port of call” for providing goods and services.

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