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

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Welcome Development to the Globe"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role in private discussions with the United States and negotiators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Question Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time award Donald Trump the coveted award, Starmer implied that time was needed to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is transitioning this from the stage it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else," he told reporters at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Announced During India Visit

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to the country – his maiden visit there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is profound, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who developed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for social services, payments, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted 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 available with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to access services, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID helps people with procedures that often take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since Starmer announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I think that the more people see the benefits that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he said. "This included a wide range of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister also said he had raised the case of the UK-based activist the individual, 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 UK nationals still held overseas.

But, he did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and China.

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

The Prime Minister clarified the UK was keen to explore other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, confront where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."