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Keir Starmer has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet stopped short of supporting the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed 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 UK had played its own role in private discussions with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the last 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 delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should now award Trump the coveted prize, Starmer suggested that more time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to move forward 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 stated at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a series of agreements sealed during his tour to India – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip signifies the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"Our history together is profound, the personal ties between our citizens are truly special," Starmer remarked as he departed Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are remaking this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Examined

Starmer has spent time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who developed the widespread system utilized by over a billion individuals for benefits, payments, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was considering expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional 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 huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to access services, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those examples of how digital ID assists people with procedures that often take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Changes

The Prime Minister admitted that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the British public, which have declined sharply in public approval since Starmer proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the more people see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and International Relations Discussed

Starmer said he had raised 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 Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was continuing to purchase Russian oil, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on resolving this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he said. "And that was a wide range of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in relation to energy."

Starmer also said he had brought up the case of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without facing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons currently detained overseas.

But, he did not indicate much advancement had been made. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the families in the near future, as well as discussing it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve diplomatic ties between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that China is deemed a threat.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to explore other trading relationships but stated that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, confront where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."