🔗 Share this article

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

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

Starmer remarked that the initial stage of the deal would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the United States and mediators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

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

"The priority now is to press on 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 media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has hailed a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his maiden visit there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip signifies the implementation of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, Starmer signed a military agreement worth £350m for British-made missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"Our history together is deep, the personal ties between our people are truly special," he remarked as he left the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this partnership for our times."

Digital ID Initiative Studied

Starmer has dedicated time in India studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting key figures who developed the comprehensive platform utilized by over a billion individuals for benefits, payments, and identification.

The prime minister hinted that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the scope 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 financial and payments systems – on a voluntary 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, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more easily than is possible with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology discussion that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists individuals with procedures that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex 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 declined sharply in public approval since he announced them.

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

Human Rights and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. He acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how India was continuing to purchase Russian oil, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer also said he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian jail 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, he did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it today."

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 effort to ease diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a security risk.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to explore other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "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 that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."