Keir Starmer counters Trump's ‘dead economy’ jibe during India visit: ‘India on track to succeed’

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the Indian economy's growth and said that it is an "economic superpower in the making".

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday congratulated his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, and said that New Delhi is on track to become the world's third-largest economy by 2028, a remark that seemed to defend the nation against US President Donald Trump's 'dead economy' jibe.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed New Delhi and said that the country's "growth story is remarkable".(ANI)

In his first official visit to India, Starmer hailed New Delhi and said that the country's "growth story is remarkable".

During his joint press conference with PM Modi, Starmer said, "It is significant that we are meeting here in Mumbai - India's economic and financial capital - because India's growth story is remarkable. I want to congratulate the Prime Minister on his leadership, aiming to be the world's third largest economy by 2028 and your vision of 'Viksit Bharat' - completely developed country by 2047. Everything that I have seen since I have been here is absolute proof to me that you are on track to succeed."

He said that the United Kingdom and India are creating a new modern partnership, one that focuses on the future. Starmer hailed July's UK-India Comprehensive Trade Agreement as a "breakthrough moment", saying that it had been years in the making.

"Slashing tariffs, increasing access to each other's markets to drive growth and create jobs for our people and making life better in both of our nations," he added.

Later in the day, during another public address, the UK Prime Minister once again heaped praises on India's economy.

"Just look at the sheer scale of India, the world's largest democracy, on track to become the third largest economy by 2028, an economic superpower in the making," Starmer told reporters.

Trump's 'dead economy' jibe

Earlier in July, when Donald Trump first imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, along with an unspecified penalty over New Delhi's Russian purchases, the US President took a swipe at India and Russia's close ties and said that the two countries can take their "dead economies down together".

“I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump had said in a post on Truth Social.

“We have done very little business with India; their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,” he added.

After Trump's remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi rallied Indians to go all-in on 'swadeshi' products. He warned of global instability and urged every political party to unite in making India the world's third-largest economy. "We will buy only things made by Indians," he said.

“There is an atmosphere of global instability. All countries are focusing on their individual interests. India is set to become the third biggest economy in the world, and that is why India will have to stay alert as far as its economic interests are concerned,” the Prime Minister said.

While PM Modi did not mention Trump by name, his remarks were seen as a veiled retort to the US President's assertion that the Indian economy had "tanked" and that it relied heavily on American markets.