UK's Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Affirms Strong Belief in India's Democratic Values and Growth Story

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, during his visit to the UK, expressed confidence in India's democratic values and growth. Speaking at the Indian High Commission in London, he shared insights from discussions with UK parliamentarians, including House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Birla appreciated Sunak's role in enhancing India-UK relations, highlighting the robust parliamentary cooperation between the two nations.

Birla emphasised that India's transparent electoral process strengthens global belief in democracy. He invited people to visit India's new Parliament as the country celebrates 75 years of its Constitution. "Our electoral process is transparent, which has helped reinforce a belief in democracy around the world. We take pride as the largest democracy of the world, dubbed the ‘mother of democracy’, and I extend an invitation to come visit India’s new Parliament as we mark 75 years of our Constitution," he said.

India's Growth and Future Prospects

Discussing India's progress, Birla noted that the country's growth surpasses many others. He predicted that India will soon become a leading destination for investments. "The scale of our country’s progress is outpacing many other nations and in the coming years, India will make its mark as the topmost country to attract investments. The coming decades of the 21st century belong to India," he added.

The Speaker also highlighted discussions with Sunak on IT, AI, social media, and fake news. They agreed on the necessity for laws to tackle these challenges effectively. During his meeting with Hoyle, Birla discussed enhancing bilateral ties through legislative capacity building and other mutual interests like people-to-people connections.

Role of Indian Diaspora and Bilateral Relations

Birla acknowledged the Indian diaspora's significant role in promoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Viksit Bharat mission. "Indians based in different countries around the world have an important contribution to make towards a Viksit Bharat. The efforts and love of the diaspora will play an important role towards this goal set by Prime Minister Modi," Birla said.

In Scotland, Birla met Alison Johnstone, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, and First Minister John Swinney. He also interacted with cross-party Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). His meeting with Pat McFadden focused on free trade, economic ties, IT, AI, and creativity.

Strengthening Historical Ties

Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami described Birla's visit as significant since it's been 17 years since a Lok Sabha Speaker visited the UK. "This visit marks a very special start of the year for us because for the first time in 17 years, we have the Speaker of the Lok Sabha of India visiting the UK, a long overdue but very important visit," said Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Doraiswami noted that both Hoyle and Birla are serving their second terms following elections last year. He highlighted their unique achievement given that single-term Speakers are more common in both countries. Doraiswami referred to Prime Minister Modi's description of India-UK ties as a "living bridge," underscoring their special relationship.

Birla's official UK tour includes England, Scotland, and Guernsey. He began by honouring Dr B.R. Ambedkar at a museum in north London. On Friday, he will chair a meeting for the Commonwealth Speakers' Conference Standing Committee in Guernsey as host for its 2026 session in India.

The Speaker expressed hope for renewed momentum in India-UK relations under Britain's new government. "Our historic relations have evolved into a robust, multifaceted and mutually beneficial partnership covering multiple sectors including defence, health, education and climate change. The resilience of our relations was evident in our cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemic including on development of vaccines. Hope that India-UK relations will receive a fresh impetus under the new government in the UK," Birla said.