Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 30 (PTI) The Kerala government, with Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Higher Education Minister Roji M John showing strong interest, is keen to have branch campuses of UK universities in the state, a British diplomat said on Thursday.
The British Deputy High Commissioner for Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Sutapa Choudhury, said the Indian and UK prime ministers had already signed MoUs to facilitate branch campuses of 10 UK universities in India.
“So far, none of them is in Kerala, and we really want to change that because there is strong demand for quality education in the state,” the Deputy High Commissioner told reporters during a media interaction organised by the Thiruvananthapuram Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Deputy High Commissioner met the Chief Minister, the Higher Education Minister and other ministers to discuss ways to strengthen trade and industry partnerships between Kerala and the UK, following the trade deal signed by India and the UK in July 2025.
“This is the most ambitious and comprehensive trade deal for us since the UK left the European Union. It has now become cheaper, quicker and easier to trade with the UK,” the Deputy High Commissioner said.
She said the UK was focusing on six key sectors with significant potential for trade growth — fisheries and marine products; spices, agriculture and food processing; IT and digital services; textiles and handlooms; engineering and advanced manufacturing; and yoga, wellness and healthcare.
The Deputy High Commissioner also dismissed social media claims of growing dissent against Indians in the UK, saying some sections of social media might be spreading misinformation, and urged people to verify facts.
“Our culture promotes tolerance, and there is no evidence to prove Indians are being targeted,” Choudhury said.
She said trade between India and the UK had, in fact, grown significantly since the signing of the deal.
“That is why we are hoping to reach 25.5 billion pounds in trade between India and the UK, which is a significant amount,” she said.
Kerala currently exports goods worth Rs 41,000 crore to the UK, with fisheries and marine products accounting for a large share.
She said Kerala and the UK were working closely on technology partnerships, adding that her roundtable with company representatives at Technopark was “very exciting.” The Deputy High Commissioner said the CM, during their interaction, had expressed interest in clean shipping initiatives with a carbon-neutral goal, and that the UK too was keen on this area, with possible partnerships to be explored. PTI TGB SSK
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