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The Prime Minister has asserted 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 Globe"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had contributed significantly behind the scenes with the United States and negotiators.

Speaking on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

But, when asked if the Nobel committee should now grant Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister implied that time was needed to determine if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me above all," he stated at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has hailed a number of deals sealed during his tour to the country – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip signifies the passing of the countries' trade pact.

• The UK government has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"Our history together is profound, the human connections between our people are exceptionally strong," he said as he departed Mumbai. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification System Examined

The Prime Minister has spent time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform used by over a billion individuals for social services, payments, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was considering broadening the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would in time 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's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can access your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with others," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital ID assists individuals with processes that sometimes take too long and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

The Prime Minister admitted that the administration had to make the case for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in public approval since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to proceed 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 civil liberties and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he said. "And that was a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister additionally said he had brought up the situation of the UK-based 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 Britons currently detained abroad.

However, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the consular cases," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar trade-focused trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship 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.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to pursue additional commercial partnerships but stated that a commercial agreement with China was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we can, confront where we must, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."