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Keir Starmer has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had contributed significantly behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader emphasized that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and paired with the prompt removal of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should now award Trump the prestigious prize, the Prime Minister implied that time was needed to determine if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that is important to me more than anything else," he told reporters at a press conference in Mumbai.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has hailed a series of agreements finalized during his visit to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he said as he departed the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital ID System Studied

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and identification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the Britain would eventually look at connecting it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it means that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more conveniently than is available with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows residents here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks recently, and in fact a financial technology discussion that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital ID helps individuals with procedures that often take too long and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

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

"In my view 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 accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

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

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the situation of the UK-based activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons currently detained overseas.

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 should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a comparable business-oriented visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve relations between the United Kingdom and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the UK has been reluctant to provide new proof that China is deemed a security risk.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to explore other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."