India's PM Modi On UK Visit Amid Protests

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to the UK as his country seeks to strengthen commercial ties - but not everyone is happy about his trip.

Around 100 protesters gathered outside Downing Street as Mr Modi met David Cameron at No 10.

Speaking later at the Foreign Office, the UK leader said trade deals worth more than £9bn are being signed by British and Indian companies this week.

He pledged to create a "modern, dynamic partnership" with India and said among the agreements was a five-year partnership to help develop the cities of Amravati, Indore and Pune.

Mr Modi said the relationship between the two countries was "of immense importance to us".

The demonstrators chanted noisily and held placards and banners with messages including "Modi not welcome", "Stop religious persecution", and "Remove illegal blockade in Nepal".

Also more than 200 writers, including Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie and Val McDermid, wrote an open letter to Mr Cameron to raise concerns about freedom of expression in India during the talks.

And an early day motion has been signed by 40 MPs, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, urging the UK leader to raise the human rights topic.

Mr Corbyn did not attend a speech Mr Modi gave to the British Parliament but is due to meet him on Saturday where he will bring up the issue.

Mr Modi's government has been accused of undermining democracy and the leader, who became PM last year, is regarded as controversial in some quarters.

He was barred from the UK until 2012 over allegations that in 2002, when he was chief minister of Gujarat, he failed to stop anti-Muslim riots in which 1,000 people died.

Mr Modi has rejected criticism of his record in Gujarat as well as claims that civil liberties have been reduced since he came to power.

His visit is the first by an Indian Prime Minister in almost a decade and Mr Cameron has hailed the trip as an "historic opportunity".

In central London before the talks, Mr Modi inspected a guard of honour.

His UK counterpart said he hoped British firms would get a share of the planning, design and construction work involved in developing the three cities.

Britain is already the largest investor in India among the G20 nations, and India invests more in the UK than it does in the rest of the EU combined.

One of the major events on Mr Modi's itinerary will be a speech at London's Wembley Stadium on Friday evening, and he will also tour the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Solihull.

But the visit comes at a difficult time for Mr Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party at home in India.

The party was defeated recently in a bitterly-fought regional election, which many attributed to Mr Modi's waning influence.