Keir Starmer Applauds Trump's Gaza Truce Agreement – However Stops Short of Nobel Prize Backing

Keir Starmer has declared that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided endorsing the American leader 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 deal would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had played its own role in private discussions with the US and mediators.

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now award Donald Trump the coveted prize, Starmer implied that time was needed to know if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to move forward and implement this ... my focus now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and ensure the 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 India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a series of agreements finalized during his tour to India – his maiden visit there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a military agreement worth £350m for UK 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," he said as he left Mumbai. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our times."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who developed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and verification.

He hinted that the UK was interested in expanding the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the Britain would in time look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and school applications.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it means that you can access your own money, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and actually a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification helps individuals with procedures that sometimes take too long and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

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

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the more people see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he appeared to have made little headway. He confirmed that he and Modi discussed how the country was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this situation and the multiple measures will be taken to that end," he said. "This included a broad spectrum of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the situation 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 most egregious cases of unfair treatment among Britons still held overseas.

But, he did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is meeting the families in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable business-oriented visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a mission to improve relations between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that China is considered a threat.

The Prime Minister said the UK was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to work together where we can, confront where we must, and this has been the ongoing approach of the administration in regarding China."