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Keir Starmer has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided supporting the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the United States and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the last day of his business trip to India, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Answered

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time grant Donald Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to press on and implement this ... my focus now is transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that is important to me more than anything else," he told reporters at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has hailed a number of deals finalized during his visit to India – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The visit signifies the implementation of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"Our history together is profound, the human connections between our people are exceptionally strong," he said as he left Mumbai. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including consulting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and identification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the application of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would in time look at connecting it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, make payments so much more easily than is possible with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, particularly financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks recently, and actually a Fintech conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those examples of how digital identification helps people with procedures that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

The Prime Minister admitted that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since he announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and ties with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made little headway. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was continuing to purchase Russian oil, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be taken to that end," he commented. "And that was a wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are taking in relation to energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had brought up the situation of the UK-based activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of unfair treatment among Britons currently detained overseas.

However, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Future Plans

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented visit to the People's Republic of China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to improve diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that China is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with China was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, challenge where we need to, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."