🔗 Share this article

The Prime Minister has declared that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet stopped short of supporting the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

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

Starmer remarked that the initial stage of the deal would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the UK had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his trade visit to India, the British leader stressed that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Answered

But, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should at this time award Donald Trump the coveted prize, Starmer suggested that time was required to determine if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving 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 press conference in Mumbai.

Business Deals Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals sealed during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the countries' trade pact.

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian army.

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

Digital ID System Studied

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting key figures who designed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, payments, and identification.

The prime minister hinted that the UK was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the UK would eventually look at connecting it to financial and payments systems – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it ensures that you can access your own money, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with others," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID helps individuals with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Changes

Starmer acknowledged that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer proposed them.

"I think 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 different nations, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Addressed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed 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 resolving this situation and the multiple measures will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the steps that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had raised the situation of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for nearly eight years without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained abroad.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been made. "Yes, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the families in the near future, as well as discussing it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented visit to China in the coming year as part of a effort to improve diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and China.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the UK has been unwilling to provide fresh evidence that the country is deemed a threat.

Starmer said the UK was eager to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with China was not on the agenda. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, confront where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the government in relation to China."