Shoe fan Theresa May ditches her trademark heels for barefoot tribute to Gandhi
PM has offered India a deal which includes an increase in the number of illegal migrants sent back
THERESA May is renowned for her kitten heels but today she was seen barefoot as she paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi during her trip to India.
The Prime Minister took off her shoes as she paid her respects at the Raj Ghat memorial to the civil rights leader.
With a scarf draped over her black jacket she paused for awhile and reflected after chatting to officials at the Gandhi Smriti, a museum dedicated to Gandhi.
Also while in New Delhi she laid a wreath at the India Gate – a memorial dedicated to the 82,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who died in the First World War.
Mrs May is in India for talks with her counterpart Narendra Modi, who has been putting pressure on her to open the door for more Indian students and skilled workers.
She has offered him a deal which could see more visas for the country's nationals to come to the UK in return for an increase in the number of illegal migrants sent back.
Following talks between the two leaders at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Mrs May made clear that any further liberalisation of the visa regime must be linked to Indian readiness to take back nationals who overstay their permission to remain in Britain.
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As part of a new "strategic dialogue" on home affairs issues, the UK "will consider further improvements to our visa offer if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain in the UK", said Mrs May.
"And the UK will continue to welcome the brightest and best Indian students, with the latest figures showing that nine out of 10 applications are granted."
UK officials were delighted that Mr Modi granted Mrs May an unusually lengthy 90-minute one-on-one private discussion in talks which formed the centrepiece of her three-day trade mission to the country.
Mrs May and Mr Modi also agreed to co-operate on a new cyber security framework, as well as tackling the use of the internet for radicalisation and recruitment attempts by violent extremists.
Speaking alongside Mrs May at a tech sector summit ahead of their working lunch, Mr Modi made clear his concern about visa changes which have almost halved numbers of Indian students at UK universities over the past five years.
"Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future," he said.
"We must therefore encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in education and research opportunities."