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Keir Starmer has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without President Trump's leadership," yet avoided endorsing the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and negotiators.

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and paired with the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

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

"The priority now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters 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 India – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has announced 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 the final day, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is profound, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he said as he left the city. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for social services, payments, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was considering expanding the application of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would in time look at linking it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and school applications.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, make payments so much more conveniently than is possible with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, particularly financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and actually a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification helps people with procedures that often take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to build public support for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in public approval since Starmer proposed them.

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

Rights Issues and International Relations Discussed

Starmer said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on resolving this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had raised the case of the UK-based activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian jail for almost a decade without facing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

But, Starmer did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise 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 families in the near future, as well as raising it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is widely expected to take a comparable business-oriented visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve relations between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that China is deemed a threat.

Starmer clarified the United Kingdom was eager to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, confront where we must, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."