Once, India was under the British Empire’s thumb. These days, the tables are turned, as a new prime minister with roots in the former colony focuses the United Kingdom’s trade and economic attention on the subcontinent now that Britain is no longer a member of the European Union.

Hopes run high for Prime Minister Sunak’s upcoming trip to India. The son of parents of Indian descent, he is expected to be greeted with open arms in his parents’ homeland. More importantly, he will seek much-needed post-Brexit trade opportunities while attending the September 9-10 Group of 20 summit at New Delhi. 

It will be Mr. Sunak’s first visit to India since taking office. The trip represents an opportunity for the United Kingdom to strengthen its Indo-Pacific policy shift. It will also challenge Mr. Sunak, who must navigate the nuances of a complicated and wrought history of relations between the two countries.

The Indo-British relationship is a “peculiar one of love-hate,” a policy analyst, commentator, and former government advisor at Delhi, Sanjaya Baru, tells the Sun. The history of British rule, the Raj, continues to tear Indians, Mr. Baru says. Indians use the English language, but they also resent the negative side of colonial rule.

“Sunak will have to walk a thin line between being seen as someone espousing British interests in India and reaching out to Indians who think he is one of their own,” Mr. Baru says. 

Mr. Sunak embodies the Indian and English duality. He was born at Southampton, Hampshire, to Hindu parents Yashvir and Usha, of Punjabi descent. In 2009, he married Akshata Murthy, an Indian citizen and daughter of billionaire businessman Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy, who founded an Indian IT company, Infosys. They were married at Bangalore, India. 

There will be “considerable curiosity and interest” in Mr. Sunak’s visit, Mr. Baru says, not only because of his Indian origin but also because of his father-in-law, who is “highly respected.” Mr. Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha are constantly in the news due to their simple way of living, “unlike most Indian billionaires,” he adds. 

Mr. Sunak took the oath of office as prime minister in October 2022 on the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad Gita. The ceremony coincided with the start of the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali. Upon hearing the news, the Indian press steered the spotlight toward the United Kingdom.  

“To think that on Diwali day, the UK could have its first prime minister of Indian origin. That too in the 75th year of independence! Yeh hui na baat! [that’s the spirit],” an Indian TV anchor, Rajdeep Sardesai, tweeted. A headline from the Indian broadcaster NDTV read: “Indian son rises over the empire.” The Times of India published a section titled: “Indians pinning their hopes on Rishi Sunak on Diwali.” 

Mr. Sunak was supported in India upon becoming Britain’s prime minister, the senior editor of the Times of India, Srijana Mitra Das, tells the Sun. People were aware of his Indian origin and his marriage into a prominent business family, she adds. 

Yet, she says, Mr. Sunak “hasn’t built more of a reputation for himself in India,” particularly due to his quietness, a rarity in a country more accustomed to flamboyant political figures. 

In addition, Ms. Mitra Das says that some of Mr. Sunak’s policies in the United Kingdom, such as his hard stance to stop illegal migration, are resented by some. “His performance is under watch even while some find his personality quite nondescript,” Ms. Mitra Das adds. 

Mr. Sunak’s trip also comes at a time when the United Kingdom is seeking to shift its policy toward the Indo-Pacific and strengthen its ties with India. 

The Indo-Pacific region is expected to become the “main engine of world economic growth” in the upcoming decades, an associate professor of international relations at King’s College London, Walter Ladwig III, tells the Sun. Countries in the region, Mr. Ladwig adds, contain big portions of global oil reserves, gas, gold, uranium, and diamonds. 

Officials from India and the United Kingdom hope to seal a free-trade deal, which has long been stalled due to disagreements over visas and migration. The 12th round of negotiations on the proposed deal began this week.

Despite Brexit, the United Kingdom is seeing all-time record numbers of migrants, with high numbers of migrants and asylum seekers attempting to cross the English Channel from France every year.

Since taking office, Mr. Sunak has set in place a number of measures to cut down illegal migration — some of which have even made him bump heads with European Union officials who warn his measures might breach human rights laws. The latest, the Illegal Migration Bill, was approved by parliament last month and allows the government to send migrants arriving at the United Kingdom without permission to their home countries or to a so-called safe country, such as Rwanda.  

“We want to finalize the deal at the earliest,” India’s commerce secretary, Sunil Barthwal, told reporters last month. He added that a deal could be signed “much before” the end of the year, as almost all negotiations were completed. 

“Trade agreements with India are always difficult,” Mr. Ladwig says. India is asking for labor mobility as part of the deal, “which is typically a touchy issue for many countries.” Yet, he adds, it will most likely be resolved with an agreement that provides short-term work authorization for individuals in the tech industry.

“We are at an important point in time where you have a UK government that really wants to deepen ties with India that is being met by an Indian government that has a greater appreciation of the value of strategic partnerships with like-minded European countries like the UK,” Mr. Ladwig says.