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Keir Starmer has declared that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer commented that the first phase of the deal would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Question Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should now grant Trump the prestigious award, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

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

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals sealed during his tour to the country – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip signifies the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is profound, the personal ties between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification System Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform utilized by over a billion individuals for benefits, payments, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the application of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to banking and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it ensures that you can access your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is available with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and actually a financial technology discussion that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification assists individuals with procedures that sometimes take too long and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the more people see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made little headway. He confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he said. "This included a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister additionally mentioned he had brought up the situation of the UK-based activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without facing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of unfair treatment among UK nationals still held abroad.

However, he did not indicate much advancement had been made. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the families in coming weeks, as well as discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated 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 improve relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide new proof that China is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we are able, confront where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."