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Keir Starmer has asserted that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet stopped short of endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

Starmer commented that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had played its own role in private discussions with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the final day of his business trip to India, Starmer stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Answered

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time grant Donald Trump the coveted prize, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that is important to me above all," he stated at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Revealed During India Visit

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

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the personal ties between our people are truly special," Starmer said as he left Mumbai. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are remaking this partnership for our era."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who designed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for benefits, transactions, and verification.

He hinted that the UK was interested in expanding the application of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the Britain would in time look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and school applications.

"It's been taken up on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification helps individuals with processes that sometimes take too long and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer admitted that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in public approval since Starmer 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 accompany this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

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 seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was continuing to purchase Russian oil, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this situation and the multiple measures will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "And that was a wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer also said he had raised the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without facing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

However, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We consistently address 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 raising it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer 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 improve diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is deemed a threat.

Starmer clarified the United Kingdom was keen to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, challenge where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."