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

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

The prime minister remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and mediators.

Speaking on the last day of his trade visit to India, Starmer stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time grant Donald Trump the prestigious award, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was required to determine if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else," he told reporters at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has hailed a number of deals sealed during his tour to India – his maiden visit there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip marks the passing of the countries' trade pact.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the personal ties between our people are truly special," he said as he departed Mumbai. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are remaking this alliance for our times."

Digital ID System Examined

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting key figures who developed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and verification.

He suggested that the UK was interested in expanding the application of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the Britain would in time look at connecting it to banking and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and school applications.

"It's been taken up on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks yesterday, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID assists individuals with processes that often take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister admitted that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in public approval since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the more people see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and ties with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "This included a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had raised the case of the UK-based activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for nearly eight years without facing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals still held overseas.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in coming weeks, as well as discussing it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve relations between the UK and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

Starmer said the UK was keen to explore additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, 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 ongoing approach of the administration in relation to China."