How The Khalistan Links Of UK's Ruling Labour Party Could Complicate FTA Talks With India

Several lawmakers of Britain's ruling Labour Party, including a key aide to the UK minister negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India, participated in a Gurpurab event organised by a pro-Khalistan group.

The event, held in the Houses of Parliament in London on Tuesday, raises questions about the Labour government's stance on Khalistani activities in UK.

The gathering, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs, came just a day after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Rome.

The APPG’s secretariat is housed in the Sikh Federation, a pro-Khalistan political party which emanates from the proscribed terror group International Sikh Youth Federation.

Preet Kaur Gill, who is a British Member of Parliament for Edgbaston and Parliamentary Private Secretary to UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, was among the attendees of the event.

Reynolds will be negotiating the India-UK free trade pact with the Indian counterparts.

India and UK have held over a dozen rounds of negotiations over the free trade agreement since 2022, with key sticking points around relaxing visa rules and lowering fees for Indian students and professionals going to Britain.

This deal is significant for Britain as it could unlock valuable markets for British cars, Scottish whisky, and financial services worth billions of pounds, with India on course to become the third-largest economy in the coming years.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British PM Keir Starmer met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil, where both leaders agreed to launch the India-UK trade talks early next year.

Meanwhile, UK Trade Secretary Reynolds had described India as a "vital trading partner" and said he believed there is "a good deal to be done here" for both sides.

In a post on X on 19 November, Reynolds said that improving trade with India is "vital to boost our economy".

"Excited to be restarting talks with such a strong trading partner, boosting investment which already supports over 600,000 jobs across both countries," he added.

However, Gill as a key representative to the UK Trade Secretary could be construed by the Indian government as tacit support to the pro-Khalistan elements in UK by the ruling Labour party and PM Starmer.

In 2020, Gill had backed what she described as the right of ‘self determination’ for Sikhs in India and later accused India of threatening Sikhs in the UK.

She also campaigned for the release of terrorist Jagtar Singh Johal, a UK national jailed since 2017, for his alleged role in the murders of Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Ravinder Gosain and Pastor Sultan Masih.

The Gurpurab event was chaired by Labour MP Jas Athwal, who has faced scrutiny over allegations of renting unsafe housing.

Harpreet Uppal, MP for Huddersfield, was also present at the event.

Uppal had previously been embroiled in a diplomatic row when she returned from India in solidarity with a deported colleague.

In 2019, India deported Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth and leader of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, after her e-visa was rejected by Indian authorities.

Uppal, who worked as an aide to Abrahams, chose to return with her despite not being denied entry to India.

Further, the involvement of Labour councillor Parbinder Kaur, known for her support of Sikh separatist narratives, at the event has also raised concerns.

She has repeatedly shared social media material describing Khalistani terrorists engaged in assassinations and bombings as “martyrs”. 

Despite announcing that it was investigating Parbinder's position, the Labour party is yet to take any action against her.

Gill and Kaur are reportedly regular attendees at the Smethwick Gurdwara, which includes a gallery displaying portraits of several terrorists including Avtar Singh, Balbir Singh Khaira, and Sukhdev Singh Babbar.

The Sikh Federation's influence extends beyond Labour party, with Conservative MP Joy Morrissey also linked to the APPG.

This comes as India had last year raised its long-standing concerns about pro-Khalistan extremism in UK.

During his UK visit last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with top British leaders and raised the issue of Khalistani extremism in UK. He also stressed that they should be on guard against the misuse of freedom of expression and speech.

Earlier in March last year, pro-Khalistan protesters attacked the Indian High Commission in London, which led to an uproar in India and a formal demarche from the Ministry of External Affairs.

With the Keir Starmer government in the UK keen on inking a free trade deal with New Delhi, it has to bear in mind that Khalistan issue is at the core of the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada.

If New Delhi's concerns are not addressed and the influence of pro-Khalistan individuals and groups in British politics continue to rise, this could risk damaging UK-India relations at a critical juncture in FTA negotiations.

For a successful trade deal with India, the ruling Labour, which in the past has miffed New Delhi when anti-India Jeremy Corbyn was its leader, cannot afford now to be perceived as a party seen nurturing the pro-Khalistani elements within its fold.