Starmer Commends Trump's Gaza Truce Deal – But Declines of Peace Prize Endorsement

Keir Starmer has stated that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but avoided endorsing the American leader for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer remarked 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 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 deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and paired with the immediate lifting of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

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

"What matters now is to press on and implement this ... my attention now is transitioning 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.

Trade and Investment Revealed During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his visit to India – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The visit signifies the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister finalized a defence deal worth £350 million 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 citizens are truly special," he said as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are remaking this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in Mumbai analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including consulting key figures who designed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for social services, payments, and verification.

He hinted that the UK was considering expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at connecting it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for official procedures such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can access your own money, conduct transactions so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it allows residents here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID assists people with procedures that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged 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.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I think that the more people see the benefits that accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he stated.

Rights Issues and International Relations Discussed

The Prime Minister said he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Modi talked about how the country was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on resolving this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that purpose," he said. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the steps that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

The Prime Minister also said he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, 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 most egregious cases of injustice among UK nationals currently detained overseas.

But, he did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the consular cases," he stated. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as raising it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease relations between the UK and China.

That relationship 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 China is considered a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we are able, confront where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."