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The Prime Minister has asserted that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," but stopped short of supporting the US president 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 highlighted that the UK had contributed significantly behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

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

Peace Prize Question Answered

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

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is transitioning 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 press conference in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his maiden visit there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the personal ties between our citizens are truly special," he remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital ID System Studied

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who designed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for social services, payments, and verification.

He hinted that the UK was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to banking and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can access your own money, make payments so much more easily than is available with alternative methods," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to access services, particularly financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those instances of how digital identification helps people with procedures that often take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Reforms

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the government had to build public support 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 more people see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer additionally said he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without facing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained overseas.

But, he did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a similar trade-focused visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to improve relations between the UK and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that China is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, confront where we must, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."