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Keir Starmer has stated that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided endorsing the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer remarked that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had played its own role in private discussions with the United States and negotiators.

Speaking on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Question Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should now grant Donald Trump the prestigious award, Starmer implied that more time was needed to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and implement this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else," he stated at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals sealed during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The visit signifies the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the personal ties between our people are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he departed the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification System Studied

Starmer has dedicated 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 social services, transactions, and verification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the Britain would in time look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

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

"The speed with which it allows residents here to access services, particularly financial services, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a financial technology discussion that we had as well. So we're looking at those examples of how digital identification assists people with procedures that sometimes take too long and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer admitted that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since he proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that come with this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. He acknowledged that he and Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a wide range of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the situation of the UK-based activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without facing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among UK nationals still held overseas.

However, he did not indicate much progress had been made. "Yes, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as raising it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is widely expected to take a comparable trade-focused trip to China in the coming year as part of a effort to improve diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide new proof that the country is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to pursue additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, challenge where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the administration in regarding China."