London sources reported that the UK government seemed rattled by the India visit of French President Emmanuel Macron with UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson clashing with him on social media over Indian students being lured by both nations. Meanwhile during an address in New Delhi, the French President offered up France as the new gateway to Europe for Indian students against the backdrop of Britain's exit from the EU.
Messages from Macron's official Twitter account stated that "We are at the beginning of a new momentum between France and India and he wants to double the number of Indian students coming to France. If you choose France you gain access to francophonie, you gain access to Europe".
Meanwhile according to official estimates,
overseas students contribute around 25 billion pounds a year to the UK economy
and support about 200,000 jobs in the country. Furthermore the number of Indian
students choosing British universities has been on the decline in recent years
due to a perceived unwelcome visa regime, though last year's figures came as
some relief for the UK government.
