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Keir Starmer has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet stopped short of endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer commented that the initial stage of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and mediators.

Speaking on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and paired with the immediate lifting of all restrictions on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Question Answered

But, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now grant Donald Trump the coveted award, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to press on and implement 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 Mumbai.

Business Deals Revealed During India Visit

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

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a military agreement worth £350 million for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our citizens are truly special," Starmer said as he left the city. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital ID System Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who developed the comprehensive platform utilized by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and verification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed 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's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it allows residents here to utilize facilities, particularly financial services, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a Fintech discussion that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID helps people with processes 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 make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in public approval since he 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 accompany this ... as has happened in other countries, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without facing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals currently detained abroad.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been made. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We always raise 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 raising it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a similar business-oriented trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and China.

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

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we must, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."