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The Prime Minister has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," but stopped short of supporting the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Welcome Development to the Globe"

Starmer commented that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role behind the scenes with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

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

"The priority now is to press on and implement this ... my attention 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.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The visit marks the implementation of the countries' 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 UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

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

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including consulting key figures who developed the widespread system utilized by over a billion individuals for benefits, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister hinted that the United Kingdom was considering expanding the scope of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would in time look at connecting it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can access your own money, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows residents here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged 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 excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer proposed them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that come with this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Discussed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was persisting to buy Russian oil, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on ending this situation and the multiple measures will be taken to that purpose," he said. "This included a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been detained 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 unfair treatment among UK nationals still held abroad.

However, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been made. "Yes, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as discussing it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a similar business-oriented trip to China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been unwilling to provide new proof that China is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the UK was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships 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 stance is to cooperate where we can, confront where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."