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Keir Starmer has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," but stopped short of endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Welcome Development to the Globe"

Starmer commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted that the UK had contributed significantly behind the scenes with the United States and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to India, Starmer stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should now award Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was needed to determine if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to press on and execute 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 told reporters at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements sealed during his tour to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a military agreement worth £350 million for UK missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian military.

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

Digital ID System Examined

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who developed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was considering broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the UK would in time look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and school applications.

"It has been adopted 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 easily than is possible with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer admitted that the government had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since he announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how the country was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this situation and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister additionally mentioned he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without facing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals still held abroad.

However, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been made. "Indeed, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives in coming weeks, as well as discussing it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a comparable trade-focused visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide new proof that the country is considered a threat.

Starmer said the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, challenge where we need to, and that's been the ongoing approach of the administration in regarding China."