India’s top trade official said that talks with the UK on a trade agreement were “moving very well” and downplayed remaining hurdles on easing temporary work visas for Indians and opening up industries including automotive and spirits. 

Piyush Goyal, minister of commerce and industry, also said that India was pushing for transition periods or more market access in some sectors because its economy, currently slightly larger than the UK’s, would far outgrow it in the decades to come. 

“There are one or two areas that were a little slow and we are speeding that up,” Goyal said in an interview with the Financial Times. He added that he had spoken to his UK counterpart, Kemi Badenoch, on Tuesday, “and my own sense is that we will see a good outcome soon”.