London, July 24 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, signed the long-awaited India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Thursday, opening the door to significant trade and investment gains for both nations.

The agreement was formalised during PM Modi's visit to the UK, marking the first leg of his two-nation tour.

After his arrival on Wednesday, the two leaders met in London the next day for a bilateral meeting ahead of the signing ceremony.

The talks were held at the historic Hawtry Room, where Modi and Starmer conducted a one-on-one meeting to finalise what is being described as India's most wide-ranging trade deal and the UK's most consequential agreement since Brexit.

He noted that Indian exports ...