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The Prime Minister has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet avoided endorsing the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister remarked that the initial stage of the deal would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the UK had played its own role in private discussions with the United States and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to India, Starmer stressed that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Answered

But, when asked if the Nobel committee should now grant Trump the prestigious prize, the Prime Minister implied that more time was required to know if a durable peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to press on and execute this ... my focus now is transitioning this from the stage it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me above all," he stated at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Revealed During India Visit

Starmer has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his visit to the country – his first time there – accompanied by 126 business leaders and arts figures. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has unveiled a slew of investments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"Our history together is profound, the human connections between our people are truly special," Starmer said as he left the city. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification System Examined

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai studying the national digital identification program, including meeting key figures who developed the comprehensive platform used by over a billion individuals for benefits, payments, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the Britain would eventually look at connecting it to financial and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

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

"The efficiency with which it allows residents here to utilize facilities, particularly financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a Fintech conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those examples of how digital ID helps individuals with procedures that sometimes take too long and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Changes

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to build public support for the reforms 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 benefits that accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he stated.

Human Rights and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made little headway. He confirmed that he and Modi discussed how India was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

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

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had raised the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian jail for almost a decade without facing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among UK nationals still held overseas.

But, he did not indicate much progress had been made. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the relatives in coming weeks, as well as discussing it now."

Future Plans

Starmer is largely anticipated to take a comparable business-oriented visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to improve diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

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 deemed a threat.

Starmer said the United Kingdom was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we are able, challenge where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."