CM Stalin arrives in U.K.; State govt. signs MoUs in defence, aerospace and other sectors

On the second leg of his European tour, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin led a series of high-level meetings in the United Kingdom, culminating in the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in sectors spanning defence, aerospace, shipbuilding intelligence, renewable energy, textile technology, and design.

According to a press release, the highlight of his interactions was a meeting with Rolls-Royce, one of the world’s foremost aerospace and defence technology firms. “The company expressed strong interest in expanding its operations in Tamil Nadu, with plans for an MRO facility, an R&D and training centre, and a significant expansion of its IAMPL joint venture in Hosur,” it said.

“With Tamil Nadu being home to one of India’s two Defence Industrial Corridors, the engagement with Rolls-Royce illustrates the State’s potential as a hub for advanced aerospace manufacturing,” the release added.

Besides, Lloyd’s List Intelligence (Seasearcher) signed an MoU to expand its Global Capability Centre in Chennai, creating 200 jobs by financial year 2026. “As a world leader in maritime risk management, insurance and vessel tracking analytics, Lloyd’s expansion will significantly bolster Tamil Nadu’s capabilities in shipbuilding, port management, and maritime technology,” the release said.

The flagship Seasearcher platform provides real-time visibility of global vessel movements, ownership structures, and port activities — insights that will be invaluable for unlocking Tamil Nadu’s vast Blue Economy potential, it said.

Wilson Power & Distribution Technologies announced plans to establish a new electric transformer manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu. With 80% - 90% of its output going to renewable energy projects, the ₹300-crore investment and 543 new jobs will directly contribute to Tamil Nadu’s ambition of becoming a green energy manufacturing capital, and reinforce its clean-tech value chain, it added.

Strengthening Tamil Nadu’s position as India’s leading textile export hub, Britannia RFID Technologies India, a subsidiary of U.K.-based Britannia Garment Packaging, will invest ₹520 crore to set up a high-capacity RFID tag manufacturing unit in Tiruppur and Namakkal. The project, expected to create 550 jobs, will support traceability and supply chain digitisation in the garment sector, enhancing export competitiveness, it said.

On the education front, Ecole Intuit Lab entered into a partnership with Sakthi Excellence Academy to launch a design-focused higher education institution in Coimbatore. With the creative economy becoming a key driver of innovation and branding, the initiative will nurture the next generation of creative professionals in Tamil Nadu, the release said.

It said the University of Exeter signed an MoU with Tamil Nadu to enhance academic collaboration. The partnership will focus on joint research, faculty exchange programmes, and fostering cross-border knowledge transfer in priority disciplines.

These strategic MoUs are also among the first few tangible examples of Tamil Nadu leveraging the India–U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to deepen sectoral collaboration and attract high-quality international investments. Several additional meetings were held during the day to explore more opportunities emerging from the FTA framework, the release added.

Letter to cadre

In a letter to DMK cadre, Mr. Stalin said he was satisfied with the outcome of his visit to Germany.

“Setting aside the criticism of my foreign trips, which is being made for political reasons, I am satisfied with the outcome of attracting investments and creating job opportunities that would boost Tamil Nadu’s economy,” Mr. Stalin said.