After a week visiting #Delhi and #Mumbai in #India and talking to people in Universities, thinktanks, business and international trade about #Brexit, a short thread summarising what I heard. /1
The EU is seen primarily as a free trade bloc, and a successful one. Therefore, for the UK to leave in order to pursue 'free trade' is seen as somewhat baffling. /2
UK policy on migration is well-known and the referendum was seen, in part, as the UK turning its back on Europe - but also the world. The refusal to discuss high-skilled migration from India to the UK will prevent discussions on trade. 3
Cooperation with other European countries has increased. If education is anything to go by, the development of links between India and France/Germany shows that the UK may not be the primary gateway to Europe. /4
Given the traditional underlining of Parliamentary democracy in the UK, there remains confusion (particularly amongst legal scholars) about why the question of EU membership was not left to Parliament, and why Parliament did not set out a post-ref trajectory. /5
The Commonwealth is in no way seen as any kind of substitute for EU membership or developing into anything more than it is already. Heads of Gov meeting received some attention in India, but only because PM Modi attended. The #windrushscandal was widely reported. /6
Brexit shows that what happens in the UK matters and there is still interest (eg the #RoyalWeddding). But this also shows that Britain is already 'Global'. I did not hear much to suggest that relations with India or Britain's standing in the world will increase post-Brexit. /END
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