🔗 Share this article

Keir Starmer has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but stopped short of endorsing the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Ceasefire Deal Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage of the deal 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.

Speaking on the last day of his trade visit to India, the British leader stressed 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 Question Answered

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should now award Donald Trump the coveted prize, Starmer suggested that more time was required to determine if a durable peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and implement this ... my attention now is transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that is important to me above all," he told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals sealed during his tour to India – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The visit marks the passing of the countries' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a military agreement worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the personal ties between our citizens are truly special," he said as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital ID System Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including consulting principal architects who designed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and verification.

He suggested that the UK was considering broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to banking and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own money, 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 banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks recently, and in fact a financial technology discussion that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID helps individuals with processes that often take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer admitted that the government had to build public support for the initiatives to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the more people see the benefits that come with this ... as has occurred in other countries, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. He confirmed that he and Modi discussed how the country was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are taking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, 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 worst examples of injustice among Britons currently detained abroad.

But, he did not suggest much advancement had been made. "Yes, we brought up the consular cases," he said. "We always raise 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 discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused visit to China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease diplomatic ties between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country 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. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, confront where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the administration in regarding China."