🔗 Share this article

The Prime Minister has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without President Trump's leadership," but avoided supporting the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role in private discussions with the United States and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to India, Starmer stressed that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Answered

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

"What matters now is to press on and execute this ... my attention now is transitioning 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 press conference in Mumbai.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has hailed a series of agreements finalized during his tour to India – his maiden visit there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the countries' trade pact.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the personal ties between our people are truly special," Starmer remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital ID Initiative Studied

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting principal architects who developed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister hinted that the UK was considering expanding the scope of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"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, make payments so much more conveniently than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to access services, particularly financial services, is something that was recognized in our discussions yesterday, and actually a Fintech discussion that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital identification assists individuals with processes that often take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in public approval 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 positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in other countries, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Discussed

Starmer said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he appeared to have made little headway. He acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how the country was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister also 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 complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained abroad.

But, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise 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 similar trade-focused visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease relations between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that China is considered a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to cooperate where we are able, challenge where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."