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Keir Starmer 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 peace prize.

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

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

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to India, the British leader stressed that the deal "must now be implemented 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 asked if the Nobel committee should now grant Donald Trump the coveted award, Starmer suggested that more time was required to determine if a durable peace could be achieved.

"The priority now is to press on and execute this ... my focus 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 stated at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has hailed a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – joined by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The visit signifies the passing of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, the Prime Minister signed a military agreement worth £350m for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be used 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 ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including meeting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and identification.

He hinted that the UK was interested in expanding the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the Britain would in time look at connecting it to banking and payments systems – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it ensures that you can access your own funds, make payments so much more easily than is available with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it allows residents here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those examples of how digital ID helps people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer admitted that the government had to make the case for the reforms to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since he proposed them.

"In my view now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the benefits 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.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister confirmed he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and ties with Russia, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how India was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "And that was a wide range of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the case of the British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons still held abroad.

However, he did not suggest much advancement had been achieved. "Yes, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the relatives in coming weeks, as well as discussing it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is widely expected to take a comparable business-oriented trip 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 dismissal of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide fresh evidence that China is deemed a threat.

Starmer clarified the United Kingdom was eager to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a commercial agreement with China was not currently planned. "That's not on our list, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to cooperate where we can, confront where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the government in relation to China."