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The Prime Minister has declared that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," but stopped short of endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and highlighted that the UK had contributed significantly in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the immediate lifting of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now grant Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister suggested that time was required to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to move forward and execute this ... my attention now is transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters 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 tour to the country – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The trip marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our citizens are truly special," Starmer remarked as he left the city. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our times."

Digital ID System Studied

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting principal architects who designed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would in time look at linking it to banking and payments systems – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own money, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and in fact a Fintech discussion that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID assists people with processes that often take too long and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

Starmer admitted that the administration had to make the case for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer proposed them.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I think that the more people see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in other countries, 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

The Prime Minister said he had brought up a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and relations with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was persisting to buy 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 purpose," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we outlined the steps that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without facing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among UK nationals currently detained overseas.

However, he did not indicate much progress had been made. "Yes, we brought up the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented trip to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is deemed a security risk.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with China was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we are able, challenge where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."