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Keir Starmer has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet avoided supporting the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Welcome Development to the World"

The prime minister commented 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 behind the scenes with the United States and mediators.

Addressing the media on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and paired with the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should at this time award Donald Trump the prestigious prize, the Prime Minister implied that more time was required to know if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to press on and execute this ... my attention now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and ensure the 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 Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to the country – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The visit marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, Starmer finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our people are truly special," he remarked as he left Mumbai. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification System Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform utilized by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and identification.

The prime minister suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it allows residents here to access services, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our talks recently, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists people with procedures that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer admitted that the administration had to build public support for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in public approval since he proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on ending this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "This included a wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons still held overseas.

But, Starmer did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the consular cases," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in the near future, as well as raising it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a similar business-oriented visit to China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease relations between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that China is deemed a security risk.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."