Confirmed: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to be chief guest at 2021 Republic Day celebrations

The UK Foreign Secretary came to India on Monday on a bilateral visit and confirmed UK PM’s availability for the January 26 event the following day. Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was also present at the meeting said that the British PM’s presence at the Republic Day "would be in a way symbolic of a new era, and a new phase of India-UK ties."

 The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Tuesday announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be attending India's Republic Day celebration in January next year as the chief guest.

The UK Foreign Secretary came to India on Monday on a bilateral visit and confirmed the UK PM’s availability for the January 26 event the following day.

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Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was also present at the meeting said that the British PM’s presence at the Republic Day "would be in a way symbolic of a new era, and a new phase of India-UK ties."

It is after a gap of 27 years that a UK Prime Minister will be the chief guest at India's 70th Republic Day next month. John Major was the last British Prime Minister to attend the Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 1993.

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Calling it a great honour, Dominic Raab, who arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit, said that Prime Minister Johnson has accepted India's "very generous" invite to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations next month. "I'm pleased that PM Boris Johnson has invited PM Modi to join the UK-hosted G7 summit next year. The British PM has also accepted the very generous invitation to attend India's Republic Day celebrations in January, which is a great honour," he said this afternoon.

The invitation from Modi is tactical and timely as the transition period for Brexit ends on December 31 and it's almost certain that the UK will go for a 'hard Brexit' - a clean break from Europe which will entail Britain giving up membership of the EU's single market, allowing it to trade freely with EU members without restrictions.

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The hard Brexit is likely to disrupt the UK's economy, which even after four years of the Brexit vote is for most practical purposes still functioning as part of the EU. To reduce the adverse effects of economic disruption, the UK has been looking for trading opportunities elsewhere.

Prime Minister Johnson has offered a free trade agreement with India, given its huge market. Johnson's visit to New Delhi next month will be significant for trade negotiations between the two countries.

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