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Keir Starmer has stated that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet stopped short of supporting the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer commented that the first phase of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to India, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Answered

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should now grant Donald Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer suggested that more time was needed to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and implement this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage 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 India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' trade pact.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is profound, the personal ties between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he said as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification System Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and identification.

He hinted that the UK was interested in expanding the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional 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 retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is possible with others," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification helps people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Changes

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

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the more people see the benefits that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and International Relations Addressed

The Prime Minister said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he said. "This included a wide range of dialogue, but we outlined the steps that we are taking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister additionally said he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian prison 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 abroad.

However, he did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as discussing it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented trip to the People's Republic of China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease diplomatic ties between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we are able, challenge where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the government in regarding China."