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

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister remarked 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 United States and negotiators.

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

Nobel Prize Question Answered

But, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time grant Donald Trump the prestigious award, Starmer suggested that time was required to determine if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to move forward and execute 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 above all," he stated at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Business Deals Announced During India Visit

Starmer has hailed a number of deals sealed during his visit to the country – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The visit marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled 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, the Prime Minister finalized a military agreement worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"Our history together is profound, the personal ties between our people are truly special," he remarked as he left Mumbai. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including consulting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and verification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would in time look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and school applications.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it ensures that you can access your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is available with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, particularly financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification helps people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in public approval since Starmer announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has occurred in other countries, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on ending this situation and the multiple measures will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we outlined the steps that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian jail for almost a decade without facing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals still held abroad.

But, Starmer did not suggest much advancement had been made. "Yes, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as raising it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented visit to China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the UK has been unwilling to provide new proof that China is deemed a security risk.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was keen to explore additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, confront where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."