🔗 Share this article

The Prime Minister has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," but stopped short of supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the Globe"

Starmer remarked that the initial stage of the deal would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had contributed significantly behind the scenes with the US and mediators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to India, the British leader stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and paired with the prompt removal of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should now award Trump the coveted award, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was required to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"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 matters to me more than anything else," he told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Business Deals Announced During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a number of deals sealed during his visit to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The visit signifies the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has unveiled a range of financial commitments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is profound, the human connections between our people are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he departed the city. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our era."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

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

He suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in expanding the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would in time look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a optional 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 retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is available with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables residents here to utilize facilities, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks recently, and in fact a financial technology discussion that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital ID helps people with processes that often take too long and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in public approval since Starmer proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer said he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding human rights and ties with Russia, though he seemed to have made little headway. He confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was persisting to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on resolving this situation and the various steps will be taken to that end," he commented. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we did set out the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also said he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, 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.

However, he did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the relatives in coming weeks, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused visit to China in the next 12 months as part of a mission to ease relations between the UK and China.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that the country is considered a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the UK was keen to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with the nation was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we are able, challenge where we need to, and that's been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."