Keir Starmer Applauds President Trump's Gaza Ceasefire Agreement – However Declines of Peace Prize Backing

Keir Starmer has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet avoided supporting the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed 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 played its own role behind the scenes with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to India, the British leader emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Answered

But, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time grant Trump the prestigious prize, Starmer suggested that time was required to know if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus 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 told reporters at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has hailed a number of deals finalized during his visit to India – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has unveiled a slew of investments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350m 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 departed Mumbai. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including consulting key figures who developed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and identification.

The prime minister suggested that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would in time look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – 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 massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can access your own funds, make payments so much more easily than is available with others," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to access services, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists people with processes that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I believe that the more people see the benefits that accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and ties with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Modi talked about how India was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this conflict and the various steps will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also said he had raised the case of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been made. "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 foreign secretary 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 ease diplomatic ties between the UK and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we are able, challenge where we need to, and this has been the ongoing approach of the government in relation to China."