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Keir Starmer has declared that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet avoided endorsing the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" 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 business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the immediate lifting of all restrictions on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should now grant Donald Trump the prestigious award, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was needed to determine if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to press on and implement this ... my attention now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me above all," he told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Announced During India Visit

Starmer has celebrated a series of agreements sealed during his tour to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The visit signifies the implementation of the countries' trade pact.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made 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," he remarked as he departed Mumbai. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our era."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who designed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for social services, payments, and verification.

The prime minister hinted that the United Kingdom was interested in expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the Britain would in time look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to access services, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists individuals with processes that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

The Prime Minister admitted that the government had to build public support for the initiatives to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since Starmer announced 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 simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this situation and the multiple measures will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the steps that we are taking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had raised the situation of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals currently detained abroad.

But, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is meeting the families in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused trip to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to improve relations between the United Kingdom and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide new proof that China is considered a security risk.

Starmer clarified the UK was keen to explore other trading relationships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with the nation was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, confront where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."