Post-Brexit, Boris Johnson doubles down on New Delhi ties

ONE consequence of the coronavirus crisis and Brexit has been that Boris Johnson's premiership has seen little international travel. Yet, that will change as he seeks to drive his "Global Britain" campaign.

After just 11 foreign trips since 2019, mostly to Europe, a key sign that change is on the horizon is his planned trip in coming weeks to India. This has been postponed twice already because of the pandemic, and will be Mr Johnson's first as prime minister to the country, and indeed AsiaPacific. For the UK government, "Global Britain" is about reinvesting in relationships, championing a rules-based international order, and demonstrating that the United Kingdom is open, outward-looking and confident on the world stage. So it is no coincidence that India has been selected as Mr Johnson's first port of call in 2021.

London and New Delhi have long had a unique relationship. But the growing warmth in their bilateral ties under the leadership of Mr Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is striking, including during the coronavirus crisis maintaining a flow of medical goods: the UK has, for instance, received some 11 million face masks and three million packets of paracetamol from India during the pandemic.