In May this year, Boris Johnson the Prime Minister of the UK made the announcement that the government are intending to work with India towards setting up a brand-new Free Trade Arrangement (FTA). As a business that has worked in India for almost a decade, we were pleased to be invited to share our experience and suggestions to assist the government in their preparations and have since submitted our ideas and comments.

An FTA between the UK and India would, the government state provide an excellent opportunity to deepen the UK's trade and investment links. Secret Projects would welcome an FTA, if it includes legal protection for the Indian workforce that shields workers from exploitation by companies, as well as measures that will protect the environment. We believe such an agreement, that includes these crucial elements will have a positive impact on our business and our mission to empower women, which lies at the heart of all we do.

We hope that an FTA would mean among other important areas, that the process for shipping retail goods from India to the UK would be simplified, coupled with a reduction in the overall cost of these shipments. This would mean that Secret Projects could transport merchandise made by our Maker Groups in a more competitive way, increasing our Customer base in the UK and that in turn that will allow us to reach more women in India, empowering each one economically.

We will share updates and further details of these negotiations over the coming months and will be taking any opportunity we are given to promote the empowerment of women in India and the value that earning an income brings not just to the women, their families, and children but their wider community as well.