London:British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to visit India early next month, according to highly-placed sources involved in finalising the details of her first trip to the country as premier.

May’s visit is likely to coincide with the India-UK Tech Summit in New Delhi between November 7 and 9, they said.

The summit is being organised by India’s Department of Science and Technology and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and has Jo Johnson, UK minister for Universities, Science, Research & Innovation, as a confirmed keynote speaker from the UK end.

The bilateral summit was among the major announcements made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK in November 2015.

The India-UK partnership has since moved into a new era, with Britain voting to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum in June and leading to the resignation of then Prime Minister David Cameron.

May, 60, as the post-Brexit leader of the country, has often mentioned India among the priority countries for a free trade agreement to boost the UK’s ties outside the EU.

“Countries including Canada, China, India, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea have already told us they would welcome talks on future free trade agreements. And we have already agreed to start scoping discussions on trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand,” she told the Conservative party conference earlier this week.

Therefore, trade is expected to feature high on the agenda during her India visit, when she is expected to hold bilateral talks with Modi and other senior ministers.

PTI