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Keir Starmer has stated that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without President Trump's leadership," but avoided endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Welcomed as a "Welcome Development to the World"

The prime minister commented that the first phase of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and mediators.

Addressing the media on the last day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader emphasized that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

But, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should now grant Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister suggested that time was required to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and implement this ... my attention now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that is important to me above all," he stated at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to the country – 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 announced a slew of investments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," Starmer said as he left the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who developed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and verification.

He hinted that the United Kingdom was interested in expanding the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK 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 school applications.

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

"The speed with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our talks recently, and actually a financial technology discussion that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID helps individuals with procedures that often 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 UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since he announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that come with this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how India was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this situation and the various steps will be taken to that end," he said. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we did set out the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had brought up the case 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 injustice among Britons currently detained overseas.

But, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the consular cases," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives in coming weeks, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is widely expected to take a comparable trade-focused trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship 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 the country is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister said the United Kingdom was eager to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, challenge where we need to, and this has been the ongoing approach of the administration in relation to China."