British International Trade Secretary <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2022/11/14/uk-seeks-to-boost-us-trade-links-with-kemi-badenochs-visit/" target="_blank">Kemi Badenoch</a> has travelled to India for a round of talks as the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/uk/" target="_blank">UK</a> seeks to revive hopes of a <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/trade-deal" target="_blank">free-trade deal</a>. After an initial target of securing a deal with India by Diwali in October slipped past, the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/uk-government/" target="_blank">UK government</a> is still negotiating. This will be the first formal round of talks since July and is expected to focus on a deal to cut tariffs and open opportunities for UK <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/finance" target="_blank">financial</a> and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/legal-services/" target="_blank">legal services</a>. Ms Badenoch, who told MPs last month that she did not want her ministry to be seen as the “department for free-trade agreements”, has flown to New Delhi for the sixth round of talk. There she will meet Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in person for the first time. The visit will also include meetings with business leaders and UK companies. “Both nations have come to the table with the very highest of ambitions and a willingness to work together towards a mutually beneficial deal," Ms Badenoch said. "I’m excited about the opportunities we can create for British business.” Previous post-<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/brexit/" target="_blank">Brexit</a> free-trade agreements have come under scrutiny after former environment secretary George Eustice claimed the Australian agreement “was not actually a very good deal” and that the UK “gave away far too much for far too little in return”. Mr Eustice also criticised the approach adopted by then-trade secretary <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/liz-truss" target="_blank">Liz Truss</a> in pursuing the deals, prompting Mr Sunak to promise not to “sacrifice quality for speed when it comes to trade deals”. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/rishi-sunak" target="_blank">Mr Sunak</a> met Indian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/narendra-modi/" target="_blank">Narendra Modi</a> at the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/g20" target="_blank">G20</a> summit in Bali in November, where the pair discussed hopes for a free-trade deal. The visit by Ms Badenoch comes as Pret A Manger, Revolut and FinTech company Tide plan to expand into India.