Keir Starmer Praises President Trump's Gaza Truce Deal – However Declines of Peace Prize Backing

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

Ceasefire Deal Welcomed as a "Welcome Development to the World"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to India, the British leader stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should at this time grant Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister implied that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to press on and execute this ... my attention now is transitioning this from the stage it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me above all," he stated at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has hailed a series of agreements sealed during his tour to the country – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our people are exceptionally strong," Starmer remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are remaking this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification System Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including consulting principal architects who developed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and identification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the application of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would in time look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it means that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more conveniently than is possible with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables residents here to access services, particularly banking options, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and actually a Fintech discussion that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification assists people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer admitted that the government had to make the case for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since he announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe 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 get on with it," he stated.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was persisting to buy Russian oil, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this conflict and the multiple measures will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "This included a wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons currently detained abroad.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the families in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a comparable business-oriented trip to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease relations between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, confront where we need to, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in relation to China."