Keir Starmer Labour Party Shifts Stance on Kashmir, Aiming to Strengthen UK-India Relations

Keir Starmer is going to become the new Britain Prime minister| News and Media| Updated June 29 2024

Labour party leader Keir Starmer is going to become the new Britain Prime minister replacing Rishi Sunak, following the decisive victory over the conservatives. The election results pointed a crushing loss for the conservative party as the labour party secures huge lead, winning 403 seats while the conservatives only get 109 seats in the 650 members House of commons. To form government majority of 326 seats are required.

Historically, the relation between India and Labour party have been tense, particularly over the comments and involvement on Kashmir issue. Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership in 2019, the party passed an emergency motion calling for international observers to enter Kashmir and advocating for the region’s right to self-determination.

Indian leadership highly criticized this stance and labeled it as an attempt to pander the vote bank interests. India emphasized that it is against the British government’s position that Kashmir is bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

However, Keir Starmer sought to change the relations during his election campaign. He committed to pursue a new strategic partnership with India, focusing on trade agreement. During meeting with Indian diaspora, he said that constitutional issues in India including the Kashmir conflict will be resolved by India and Pakistan.

Starmer also engaged with the Indian diaspora, denouncing Hinduphobia and celebrating cultural events like Diwali and Holi.

With the change in Leadership, Starmer aims to strengthen the relations between UK and India, set to fix the lapses and controversies made by Labour party in the past.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on his achievements and emphasized the strong bilateral relationship between India and the UK. PM Modi’s message highlighted the importance of continued collaboration and the shared values between the two countries.

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