Sometimes the biggest diplomatic breakthroughs don’t happen at podiums or in press conferences. They happen when world leaders forget the microphones are still on.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were caught on a hot mic at the G7 summit in Évian, France, exchanging celebratory remarks about resolving the final sticking points in the India-UK Free Trade Agreement. The exchange, captured during the June 16-17 summit, revealed that the two leaders had quietly worked through the technical and sectoral disputes that had been holding up implementation of a deal signed nearly a year ago.
From negotiating table to open mic
The FTA was formally signed in July 2025, but signing a trade deal and actually putting one into practice are two very different things.
Negotiations between the UK and India originally kicked off in 2022.
