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The Prime Minister has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet stopped short of endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

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

Starmer remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had played its own role in private discussions with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should now grant Trump the coveted award, the Prime Minister suggested that time was needed to determine if a durable peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and implement this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me above all," he told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his visit to India – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On the final day, Starmer finalized a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, 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. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are remaking this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in India studying the national digital identification program, including meeting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to banking and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it means that you can access your own money, conduct transactions so much more easily than is possible with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our discussions recently, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists individuals with processes that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister admitted that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has occurred in different nations, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and ties with Russia, though he seemed to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on ending this situation and the various steps will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "This included a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the steps that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer additionally 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 nearly eight years without facing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons currently detained overseas.

However, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Yes, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "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 trade-focused trip to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease relations between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

The Prime Minister said the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we can, confront where we must, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."