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Keir Starmer has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement 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 United Kingdom had played its own role in private discussions with the US and mediators.

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

Nobel Prize Inquiry Answered

But, when questioned if the Nobel committee should at this time grant Trump the coveted award, the Prime Minister implied that more time was needed to determine if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

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

Business Deals Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a series of agreements finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip signifies the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," Starmer remarked as he departed the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are remaking this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification System Studied

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform utilized by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and identification.

He hinted that the UK was considering broadening the application of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would in time look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and school applications.

"It's been taken up on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is possible with others," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a financial technology discussion that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital ID helps individuals with procedures that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

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

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this situation and the multiple measures will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without facing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among Britons still held abroad.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he said. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity 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

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a similar trade-focused visit to China in the coming year as part of a mission to improve relations between the United Kingdom and China.

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 China is deemed a threat.

Starmer said the UK was eager to pursue other trading relationships but stated 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 cooperate where we can, confront where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."