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Keir Starmer has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Welcome Development to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the last day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should now award Donald Trump the coveted prize, Starmer implied that more time was required to determine if a durable peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my attention now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me above all," he stated at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During India Visit

Starmer has hailed a series of agreements sealed during his tour to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The visit marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our citizens are truly special," he remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this partnership for our era."

Digital Identification System Examined

Starmer has spent time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who designed the comprehensive platform utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at linking it to financial and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it means that you can access your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with alternative methods," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification assists individuals with processes that often take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the government had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have plummeted in public approval since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the more people see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made little headway. He acknowledged that he and Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had raised the situation of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among UK nationals still held abroad.

But, he did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable business-oriented visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been unwilling to provide new proof that the country is deemed a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to explore other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."