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Keir Starmer has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without President Trump's leadership," but avoided endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Question Addressed

But, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time award Donald Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer implied that time was needed to determine if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to move forward and implement 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 told reporters at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a series of agreements finalized during his visit to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"The shared history is profound, the personal ties between our people are truly special," Starmer remarked as he left the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification System Studied

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including consulting key figures who designed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister hinted that the UK was considering broadening the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to banking and payments systems – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with others," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and actually a Fintech discussion that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification helps people with processes that often take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister admitted that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since he proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I think that the more people see the benefits that come with this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. He acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how the country was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this situation and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian prison for nearly eight years without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a similar business-oriented visit to China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that China is deemed a security risk.

Starmer clarified the United Kingdom was eager to explore other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, confront where we must, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."