Britain must accept higher levels of immigration from India if it hopes to sign a free trade agreement after Brexit, a senior Indian diplomat has warned, as he predicted it could take up to a decade to secure the deal.

YK Sinha, India’s High Commissioner to the UK, said "freer movement of people and professionals" had to form part of any future deal to ensure it was “mutually beneficial.”

Speaking to Indian business leaders in London, Mr Sinha said he was “very confident” that a “winning partnership” between the two countries would emerge after Britain's departure from the EU.

However, he also warned that signing a free trade agreement was “obviously not going to be easy” and suggested that the deal may not be complete until 2030.

His comments highlight the challenges and concessions Britain will face in securing post-Brexit trade deals with Commonwealth countries as part of its “Global Britain” strategy.