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Keir Starmer has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but stopped short of endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and mediators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to India, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should at this time grant Donald Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister suggested 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 attention now is transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else," he told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his visit to India – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The visit signifies the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the personal ties between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he left the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are remaking this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who developed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and identification.

The prime minister suggested that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would eventually 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 huge numbers, partly because it means that you can access your own money, make payments so much more conveniently than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and actually a Fintech discussion that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID assists individuals with processes that often take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

The Prime Minister 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 make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe 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 proceed with it," he stated.

Human Rights and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was persisting to buy Russian oil, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on resolving this situation and the various steps will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are taking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister additionally said he had raised the situation of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without undergoing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained overseas.

But, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been made. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide new proof that the country is considered a security risk.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to explore other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with China was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the government in regarding China."