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The Prime Minister has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," but stopped short of endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the first phase 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.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to India, the British leader stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time award Trump the prestigious award, Starmer suggested that time was required to determine if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to press on and execute this ... my attention now is transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me above all," he stated at a press conference in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his visit to India – his maiden visit there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip marks the passing of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has unveiled a slew of investments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our people are truly special," he said as he departed Mumbai. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our era."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India studying the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who designed the widespread system utilized by over a billion individuals for social services, payments, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to banking and payments systems – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it means that you can access your own funds, make payments so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks recently, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those examples of how digital identification helps people with procedures that often take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Changes

Starmer acknowledged that the government had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in public approval since he proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that come with this ... as has happened in different nations, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made little headway. He acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how India was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"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 wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for nearly eight years without undergoing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

But, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been made. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in coming weeks, as well as raising it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease relations between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

Starmer clarified the UK was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we are able, confront where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the administration in relation to China."