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The Prime Minister has stated that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but avoided endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted 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 trade visit to India, the British leader emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and paired with the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

But, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should now award Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to move forward and implement 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 above all," he told reporters at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The visit marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian army.

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

Digital ID System Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who developed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, payments, and verification.

He suggested that the UK was considering broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at linking it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, make payments so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification helps individuals with processes that often take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the British public, which have declined sharply in public approval since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the more people see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

Starmer said he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and relations with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made little headway. He acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on resolving this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he said. "This included a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in relation to energy."

Starmer additionally said he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among UK nationals still held abroad.

But, Starmer did not suggest much advancement had been made. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he said. "We consistently address 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 discussing it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is widely expected 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 United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide new proof that the country is deemed a threat.

Starmer clarified the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, confront where we need to, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in relation to China."