🔗 Share this article

Keir Starmer 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 peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer commented that the first phase of the deal 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 negotiators.

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to India, 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."

Peace Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time grant Trump the prestigious award, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to press on and implement 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 more than anything else," he stated at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his visit to India – his maiden visit there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The trip signifies the passing of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our people are truly special," he remarked as he departed Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification Initiative Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform utilized by over a billion individuals for benefits, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was considering expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would in time look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it ensures that you can access your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with others," he noted.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification assists individuals with processes that often take too long and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged that the government had to build public support for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since he proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I think 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 therefore I want to get on with it," he stated.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

Starmer confirmed 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. He acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this situation and the various steps will be taken to that end," he commented. "This included a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had raised the situation of the UK-based activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian jail for almost a decade without undergoing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among Britons still held overseas.

But, he did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the consular cases," he stated. "We consistently address 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 raising it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a comparable business-oriented trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve diplomatic ties between the UK and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that China is deemed a threat.

Starmer said the UK was keen to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with China was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we need to, and that's been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."