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

Ceasefire Deal Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer 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 behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and paired with the immediate lifting of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Question Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should at this time grant Donald Trump the prestigious award, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is transitioning this from the stage it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me above all," he stated at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals sealed during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our citizens are truly special," he said as he departed the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

The Prime Minister has spent time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who designed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was interested in expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to banking and payments systems – 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 massive scale, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is available with alternative methods," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks recently, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification assists individuals with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer proposed 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 positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and relations with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how the country was continuing to purchase Russian oil, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this situation and the multiple measures will be implemented to that purpose," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without undergoing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among Britons currently detained abroad.

However, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the families in coming weeks, as well as raising it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a comparable business-oriented trip to China in the coming year as part of a mission to improve diplomatic ties 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 fresh evidence that China is considered a threat.

Starmer clarified the United Kingdom was keen to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we are able, confront where we must, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."