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

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

Starmer remarked that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role behind the scenes with the United States and mediators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to India, Starmer stressed that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

But, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time award Trump the coveted award, Starmer suggested that time was required to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to press on 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 above all," he stated at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Business Deals Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a number of deals sealed during his visit to the country – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip marks the passing of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350 million for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"Our history together 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 reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Examined

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

The prime minister 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 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 educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures 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 enables residents here to access services, particularly financial services, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a Fintech discussion that we had as well. So we're examining those instances of how digital identification assists people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Changes

Starmer admitted that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since Starmer announced them.

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

Human Rights and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and ties with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how India was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he commented. "This included a wide range of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also said he had raised the situation of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals still held overseas.

However, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a similar trade-focused visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister said the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to work together where we can, confront where we need to, and that's been the ongoing approach of the administration in regarding China."