🔗 Share this article

The Prime Minister has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet stopped short of supporting the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Welcome Development to the Globe"

Starmer remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the UK had played its own role in private discussions with the US and mediators.

Addressing the media on the last day of his business trip to India, the British leader 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."

Peace Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now award Donald Trump the prestigious prize, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"What matters now is to press on and implement this ... my focus now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that is important to me above all," he told reporters at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Revealed During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his visit to the country – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The trip signifies the passing of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has announced a range of financial commitments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for UK missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"Our history together is deep, the personal ties between our citizens are exceptionally strong," Starmer said as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are remaking this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification System Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who developed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and verification.

He hinted that the UK was considering expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would eventually look at linking it to financial and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a optional 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 alternative methods," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification helps people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer admitted that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the British public, which have plummeted in public approval since Starmer announced 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 accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and International Relations Discussed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had raised the situation of the UK-based activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons still held overseas.

However, Starmer did not suggest much progress had been made. "Indeed, we did raise the diplomatic matters," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in coming weeks, as well as raising it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a similar trade-focused visit to the People's Republic of China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide new proof that China is considered a security risk.

Starmer clarified the UK was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to cooperate where we are able, confront where we must, and this has been the ongoing approach of the administration in regarding China."