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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 avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the first phase of the deal would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role behind the scenes with the United States and mediators.

Addressing the media on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the agreement "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

But, when questioned if the Nobel committee should now grant Donald Trump the prestigious award, the Prime Minister implied that more time was required to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and execute this ... my attention now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else," he stated at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

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

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a military agreement worth £350 million for UK missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our citizens are truly special," he remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are remaking this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification System Studied

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform used by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was considering broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more conveniently 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 acknowledged in our talks recently, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital identification assists people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in public approval since he proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in different nations, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and International Relations Discussed

Starmer said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this conflict and the various steps will be taken to that end," he commented. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we did set out the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer also said he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without facing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

But, he did not suggest much progress had been made. "Yes, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a similar trade-focused trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to ease relations between the UK and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that China is considered a threat.

Starmer said the UK was eager to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, confront where we must, and this has been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."