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Keir Starmer has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet avoided supporting the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

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

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer stressed that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

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

"What matters now is to press on and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that is important to me more than anything else," he told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During India Visit

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 trip signifies the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology 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 £350m for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"The shared history is profound, the human connections between our people are truly special," he said as he left the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification System Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the Britain would in time look at connecting it to financial and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it means that you can access your own funds, make payments so much more conveniently than is possible with others," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to access services, particularly financial services, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification helps people with procedures that often take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

The Prime Minister admitted that the government had to build public support for the initiatives to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since Starmer proposed 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 positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Discussed

Starmer said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader 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 discussed how India was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister additionally mentioned he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained abroad.

But, Starmer did not suggest much advancement had been made. "Yes, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is meeting the families in coming weeks, as well as raising it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused trip to China in the coming year as part of a mission to improve relations between the UK and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

Starmer clarified the UK was keen to explore other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, challenge where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the administration in relation to China."