India-UK CETA kicks in July 15: zero duty on textiles, leather, footwear opens £-shaped runway

From July 15, UK tariffs collapse to zero on Indian textiles (from 12%), leather/footwear (16%) and processed food (up to 70%), with 99% of exports going duty-free. Apparel and footwear exporters now match Bangladesh and LDC access, eyeing UK share gains as bilateral trade targets $100B by 2030 from $25.12B in FY26.

— Source publishedThu, 18 Jun, 2026, 21:31 IST·First seen Thu, 18 Jun, 2026, 21:38 IST·Source BL · Consumer & Economy

What happened

India-UK CETA takes effect July 15, eliminating UK tariffs on Indian textiles, footwear, leather, processed food and engineering goods, levelling field against

Key facts

  • 70% tariff on processed food to zero
  • 16% on leather/footwear to zero
  • 12% on textiles/clothing to zero
  • 99% of exports duty-free
  • $25.12B bilateral trade FY26
  • $13.44B India exports to UK
  • $100B target by 2030

Why this matters

Scout UK-facing Indian textile, footwear and processed food platforms now—pre-CETA valuations under-price the duty-free re-rating and channel partnerships will consolidate fast post-July 15.

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