Starmer Commends President Trump's Gaza Truce Agreement – However Stops Short of Peace Prize Backing

Keir Starmer has declared that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel Prize.

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

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had contributed significantly in private discussions with the US and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to India, the British leader emphasized that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Answered

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time award Trump the prestigious prize, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was required to know if a durable peace could be attained.

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

Trade and Investment Announced During India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his visit to India – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, Starmer finalized a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"The shared history is profound, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he said as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are remaking this partnership for our era."

Digital Identification System Examined

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform utilized by more than 1 billion people for social services, payments, and identification.

The prime minister hinted that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to banking and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it means that you can retrieve your own funds, 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 actually a financial technology discussion that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister 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 proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that come with this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made little headway. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about 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 ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that purpose," he said. "This included a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

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

But, he did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Yes, 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 top diplomat is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a similar business-oriented trip to the People's Republic of China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to ease diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide new proof that China is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister said the United Kingdom was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."