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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 supporting the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister remarked that the first phase 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 US and mediators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

But, when asked if the Nobel committee should now award Donald Trump the prestigious award, the Prime Minister implied that more time was required to know if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me above all," he told reporters at a press conference in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

Starmer has hailed a number of deals sealed during his visit to the country – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' trade pact.

• The UK government has unveiled a slew of investments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350 million for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"The shared history is profound, the human connections between our people are exceptionally strong," Starmer said as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are remaking this alliance for our era."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India studying the Indian digital ID system, including consulting key figures who developed the widespread system utilized by over a billion individuals for benefits, payments, and identification.

The prime minister hinted that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at linking it to banking and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and school applications.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it means that you can access your own money, make payments so much more conveniently than is available with alternative methods," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables residents here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks recently, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those examples of how digital identification helps people with processes 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 build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer proposed them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I believe that the more people see the benefits that come with this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in relation to energy."

Starmer also said he had raised the case of the UK-based activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian prison for nearly eight years without facing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of unfair treatment among UK nationals still held abroad.

However, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been made. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the top diplomat is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to ease diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is deemed a security risk.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to explore other trading relationships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we must, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in relation to China."