The United Kingdom on Friday appointed Philip Barton as the High Commissioner to India, succeeding Dominic Asquith who recently concluded a four-year stint in India.
Barton leaves his position as the Director General of Consular and Security at the British Foreign Office. He had earlier served as High Commissioner to Pakistan (2014-16), and had various stints with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) including as the Additional Director of South Asia (2008-09) and as the Director of the Cabinet Office and as coordinator of foreign policy and Afghanistan/Pakistan (2009-11).
Barton’s new role will coincide with Britain’s exit from the European Union, as the nation aims to grow its ties with India and the Commonwealth countries.
While the transition period will see the status quo in trade with Commonwealth nations continue until the end of 2020, Britain hopes to foster its ties with India afterwards. British and Indian firms alike have expressed interest in growing the economic ties between the two countries in the aftermath of Brexit.
Asquith oversaw a period where Indian businesses doubled their revenues in the UK. Ola, India’s ride-sharing answer to Uber, plans to enter London at a time when the latter is barred from operating in Britain’s capital. Ola will launch its London operations on February 10.
On February 1, the UK launched its ‘Ready to Trade’ campaign in 18 cities across 13 countries, with Mumbai among them. Life after Brexit offers the UK the chance to strike trade deals independently with other nations; earlier trade deals had to be through the framework of the European Union (EU).
During Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s election campaign, he had promised a “new and improved” trade relationship with India.
“Friday marks an important moment in the history of our United Kingdom,” Johnson said just before Brexit day on January 31. “No matter how you voted in 2016, it is the time to look ahead with confidence to the global, trail-blazing country we will become over the next decade and heal past divisions. That is what I will be doing on 31 January and I urge everyone across the UK to do the same,” he said.