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Keir Starmer has stated that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had played its own role in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to India, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should now grant Donald Trump the coveted award, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was required to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and implement this ... my attention 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 told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Business Deals Revealed During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a military agreement worth £350m for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"The shared history is profound, the personal ties between our citizens are truly special," he said as he left the city. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital ID System Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including consulting principal architects who developed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the application of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would in time look at linking it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

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

"The speed with which it allows residents here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and actually a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those examples of how digital identification assists individuals with procedures that sometimes take too long and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the government had to make the case for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in public approval since he announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I think that the more people see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

Starmer confirmed he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was persisting to purchase oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer additionally said he had brought up the case 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 complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons still held overseas.

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 opportunity to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar trade-focused trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide new proof that China is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the UK was keen to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, confront where we need to, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."