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

Ceasefire Deal Welcomed as a "Welcome Development to the Globe"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the last day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Addressed

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should at this time award Donald Trump the prestigious prize, the Prime Minister suggested that more time was required to determine if a durable peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and implement 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 told reporters at a media briefing in Mumbai.

Business Deals Revealed During Trip to India

Starmer has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his visit to the country – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit signifies the implementation of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a range of financial commitments, 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, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"Our history together is deep, the human connections between our people are exceptionally strong," Starmer said as he left Mumbai. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are remaking this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification System Examined

Starmer has spent time in India studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting key figures who designed the widespread system utilized by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to prove rights 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 school applications.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it allows citizens here to access services, especially banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our talks yesterday, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification assists individuals with procedures that sometimes take too long and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer admitted that the administration had to build public support for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that come with this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and International Relations Discussed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made little headway. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a broad spectrum of discussion, but we did set out the steps that we are taking in regarding energy."

Starmer additionally said he had raised the case of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among Britons still held abroad.

However, he did not suggest much advancement had been made. "Indeed, 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 top diplomat is scheduled to meet the families in the near future, as well as discussing it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer 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 diplomatic ties between the UK and China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide new proof that China is considered a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was eager to pursue other trading relationships but stated that a trade deal with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to work together where we are able, confront where we must, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."