Don’t bet on the ‘colony club’

India isn’t wild about Brexit and trade talks could be tricky, warns Vidya Ram

The World Today
3 minute READ

The disbelief many Britons felt at the referendum result on June 24 last year was shared by those I spoke to in India on that day. In a land used to the bureaucracy of visa applications and long queues at the immigration desk for those travelling abroad, the European project seemed to offer boundless opportunities and was not something to be discarded lightly.

This is a feeling that has remained with the Indian community in Britain, despite some within the Leave campaign trying to persuade its members otherwise. While some had suggested that toughening up rules for Europeans would make it easier for Britain to open its doors to families from India, 60 per cent of British Indians voted to remain, according to British Election Survey data.

Subscribe to read all issues

Articles from the current issue are free to read by all, the archive is exclusive to magazine subscribers and our members. Subscribe or become a member to view articles from the archive.