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The Prime Minister has asserted that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet stopped short of supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

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

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now grant Donald Trump the coveted award, the Prime Minister suggested 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 transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and ensure the 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 Revealed During India Visit

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

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the personal ties between our citizens are exceptionally strong," Starmer said as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting key figures who developed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for social services, payments, and identification.

He hinted that the UK was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at connecting it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more easily than is possible with others," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it allows residents here to access services, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital ID helps people with procedures that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Changes

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.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the more people see the benefits that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made little headway. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this conflict and the various steps will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister additionally mentioned he had brought up the case of the UK-based activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals still held overseas.

But, Starmer did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the families in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Future Plans

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a similar business-oriented trip to China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide new proof that China is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister said the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we are able, challenge where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."