🔗 Share this article

The Prime Minister has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but stopped short of endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage 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.

Speaking on the last day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Answered

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

"The priority 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 is important to me above all," he stated at a press conference in Mumbai.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a series of agreements sealed during his visit to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The trip marks the passing 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 production of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, Starmer signed a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are remaking this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification System Examined

The Prime Minister has spent time in India analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including consulting key figures who designed the comprehensive platform used by over a billion individuals for benefits, payments, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would in time 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's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it means that you can retrieve your own money, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is available with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, particularly financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and actually a Fintech discussion that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification assists people with processes that often take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in popularity since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and International Relations Discussed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer 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 both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on resolving this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer also said he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons currently detained overseas.

However, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a similar business-oriented visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort 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 unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is deemed a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to pursue additional commercial partnerships but emphasized 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 position is to cooperate where we are able, confront where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."