🔗 Share this article

The Prime Minister has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without President Trump's leadership," but stopped short of supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Ceasefire Deal Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister commented that the first phase of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had contributed significantly behind the scenes with the United States and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to India, the British leader emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time grant Donald Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer suggested that time was required to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the phase 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 India's financial capital.

Business Deals Revealed During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a series of agreements sealed during his tour to India – his maiden visit there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our people are truly special," he remarked as he left the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are remaking this alliance for our times."

Digital ID 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 used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more easily than is available with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks recently, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification assists individuals with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals 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 proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. He acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the case of the British Sikh 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 abroad.

But, Starmer did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is widely expected to take a comparable business-oriented visit 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 China.

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

The Prime Minister said the United Kingdom was keen to explore other trading relationships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, challenge where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the government in relation to China."