UK PM Keir Starmer's BIG statement months after Trump's 'dead economy' remark: 'Everything I have seen...'

In a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump over his "dead economy" remark against India, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that India was well on track to become the world's third-largest economy by 2028. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi by his side, Starmer acknowledged that India's growth story has been remarkable, wth the country recently emerging as the world's fourth largest economy, surpassing Japan. 

The UK Prime Minister, who began his speech by doing 'Namaskara' before the crowd, asserted that his country wanted to be a part of India's growth journey. "Namaskar doston... I want to congratulate the PM on his leadership, aiming to be the world's 3rd largest economy by 2028. Your vision of Viksit Bharat is to make it a completely developed country by 2047," said PM Starmer. 

"Everything I have seen since I have been here is absolute proof to me that you are on track to succeed in that. We want to be partners on that journey," he added. This is Starmer's first visit to India, following PM Modi's visit to the UK in July to sign the long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Under the agreement, Britain will slash duties on Indian clothing, footwear, and food products. India, on the other hand, will cut duties on British goods. 

Trump's 'dead economy' remark

Two months back, amid a downturn in the ties between India and the US over New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil, Trump said in a post on Truth Social, "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care". The remarks came as Trump announced a 25 percent tariff against India and later an additional 25 percent, as he sought to "punish" New Delhi for its oil business with Russia. 

However, the ties between the two countries have recently witnessed a thaw.