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The Prime Minister has asserted that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without President Trump's leadership," yet stopped short of supporting the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Welcome Development to the World"

The prime minister remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the UK had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

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

Nobel Prize Question Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now award Donald Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and implement this ... my attention now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that is important to me more than anything else," he stated at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During India Visit

Starmer has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip signifies the passing of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a military agreement worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our people are truly special," Starmer said as he left the city. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital ID System Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in India analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including consulting key figures who designed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and verification.

He hinted that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory 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 official procedures such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with others," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a financial technology discussion that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID assists people with processes that sometimes take too long and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister admitted that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since Starmer proposed them.

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

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country 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 situation and the multiple measures will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "This included a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out 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 Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for nearly eight years without undergoing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

But, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives in coming weeks, as well as discussing it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a comparable trade-focused visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to improve diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that China is considered a threat.

Starmer clarified the UK was keen to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, confront where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."