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Keir Starmer has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet avoided supporting the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister commented that the first phase of the deal 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.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should now award Donald Trump the coveted award, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else," he stated at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip marks the passing of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a military agreement worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian military.

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

Digital ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and identification.

He hinted that the UK was considering expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with alternative methods," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists people with processes that often take too long and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives 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 think that the more people see the benefits that accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he stated.

Human Rights and International Relations Discussed

Starmer said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and relations with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made little headway. Starmer acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how India was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also said he had raised the situation of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without undergoing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of unfair treatment among Britons still held abroad.

However, Starmer did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We consistently address 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 business-oriented trip to the People's Republic of China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve relations between the UK and China.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

The Prime Minister said the United Kingdom was keen to pursue additional commercial partnerships but stated 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 cooperate where we can, confront where we need to, and this has been the ongoing approach of the administration in regarding China."