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The Prime Minister has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet avoided endorsing the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

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

The prime minister commented that the first phase of the deal would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted that the UK had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and paired with the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Answered

But, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time grant Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer implied that more time was needed to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and implement this ... my focus now is moving 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 media briefing in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Revealed During India Visit

Starmer has hailed a series of agreements finalized during his visit to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the countries' free trade agreement.

• The UK government 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 United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for UK missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

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

Digital Identification System Studied

Starmer has spent time in India studying the national digital identification program, including meeting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform used by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and identification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to banking and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks 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 easily than is available with alternative methods," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification helps individuals with procedures that sometimes take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer admitted that the administration had to build public support for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since he proposed them.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the more people see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and ties with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how the country was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this situation and the multiple measures 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 raised the case of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons still held overseas.

However, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as discussing it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented visit to China in the coming year as part of a mission to improve diplomatic ties between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is deemed a security risk.

Starmer clarified the United Kingdom was keen to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, confront where we need to, and that's been the ongoing approach of the administration in relation to China."