Starmer Applauds President Trump's Gaza Truce Deal – But Declines of Peace Prize Backing

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

Ceasefire Deal Hailed as a "Relief to the Globe"

The prime minister commented that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" 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 last day of his trade visit to India, the British leader emphasized that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Answered

But, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should now grant Trump the prestigious award, Starmer implied that more time was needed to determine if a durable peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to move forward and implement 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 more than anything else," he stated at a press conference in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Announced During India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a number of deals finalized during his visit to the country – his maiden visit there – joined by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The visit marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has announced a slew of investments, from fintech to higher education facilities, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On Thursday, the Prime Minister finalized a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our citizens are truly special," he said as he left the city. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our era."

Digital ID System Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in India analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including meeting key figures who designed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the UK was interested in broadening the scope of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He indicated that the UK would eventually look at linking it to banking and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and school applications.

"It has been adopted on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own money, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to access services, especially banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks recently, and actually a Fintech discussion that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital identification assists individuals with procedures that often take excessive time and are overly complex and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the initiatives to the British public, which have declined sharply in popularity since Starmer 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 positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in other countries, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he stated.

Human Rights and International Relations Discussed

The Prime Minister said he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and ties with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Prime Minister Modi talked about how the country was persisting to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister additionally said he had raised the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been held 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 unfair treatment among UK nationals still held overseas.

However, he did not indicate much progress had been made. "Indeed, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as raising it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a similar trade-focused visit to China in the coming year as part of a effort to improve relations between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, reportedly occurring because the UK has been reluctant to provide new proof that the country is considered a threat.

Starmer clarified the UK was keen to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we are able, challenge where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."