Theresa May went to India, and all I got was a lousy T-shirt…
I am one of those people who have often wondered why British governments pay relatively little attention to India. After all, it's a big country, with an emerging middle class who want to travel, buy luxury goods and send their children to good universities overseas. Why wouldn't we want to build stronger links with a Commonwealth country that is likely to be one of the world's largest economies before too long? And yet, the attention of our politicians and diplomats often seems biased towards China. Frankly though, after Theresa May's trip to New Delhi and Bengaluru, I almost wish that she hadn't bothered. Yes, I acknowledge that she has a number of problems in attempting to build a stronger relationship with India - the fact that she is trying to implement a Brexit decision on the basis that migration was a key factor, whilst some Leave campaigners were claiming that Brexit would mean easier access for Indians (and others) wanting to visit family here, is a contradiction almost impossible to square. But she
