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

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Welcome Development to the Globe"

The prime minister commented that the first phase of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the United Kingdom had contributed significantly in private discussions with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the final day of his business trip to India, Starmer emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Addressed

But, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now grant Donald Trump the coveted award, the Prime Minister implied that more time was required to determine if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to move forward and implement this ... my focus 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 told reporters at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his visit to the country – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a military agreement worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"Our history together is profound, the personal ties between our people are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he departed Mumbai. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Examined

The Prime Minister has spent time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who designed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, payments, and verification.

He suggested that the UK was considering broadening the application of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the Britain would in time look at connecting it to banking and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks recently, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those examples of how digital identification helps people with processes that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in public approval since Starmer announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that accompany this ... as has occurred in other countries, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on ending this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "This included a broad spectrum of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without facing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons still held overseas.

However, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been made. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he said. "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 discussing it now."

Future Plans

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a comparable business-oriented trip to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease relations between the United Kingdom and China.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

Starmer 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 bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we can, challenge where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."