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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 supporting the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the UK had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to India, Starmer stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should at this time grant Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer implied that time was required to determine if a durable peace could be achieved.

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

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals sealed during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, Starmer finalized a military agreement worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, 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 left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are remaking this partnership for our era."

Digital ID System Studied

The Prime Minister has spent time in India analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including consulting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and verification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the UK would eventually look at linking it to banking 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 voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it ensures that you can access your own money, make payments so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to access services, particularly banking options, is something that was recognized in our discussions recently, and in fact a Fintech discussion that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification helps people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

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

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made little headway. He acknowledged that he and Modi talked about how India was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this situation and the multiple measures will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer additionally said he had raised the case of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, 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 worst examples of injustice among UK nationals still held abroad.

But, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Yes, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in the near future, as well as discussing it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable business-oriented visit 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.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide new proof that China is deemed a threat.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to explore other trading relationships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we are able, challenge where we must, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."