🔗 Share this article

Keir Starmer has asserted that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet avoided endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

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

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 in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the agreement "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and paired with the immediate lifting of all restrictions on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Answered

But, when asked if the Nobel committee should now grant Trump the coveted award, Starmer suggested that more time was required to determine if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"The priority 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 above all," he stated at a press conference in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a series of agreements sealed during his tour to the country – his maiden visit there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the two nations' trade pact.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the production of three Bollywood films in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a military agreement worth £350 million for UK missiles, manufactured in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our citizens are truly special," he remarked as he departed Mumbai. "Expanding upon our historic trade deal, we are reinventing this alliance for our era."

Digital Identification Initiative Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India analyzing the Indian digital ID system, including meeting principal architects who designed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and identification.

The prime minister hinted that the United Kingdom was interested in broadening the application of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would in time look at connecting it to banking and transaction networks – 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 huge numbers, partly because it ensures that you can access 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 access services, particularly financial services, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're examining those examples of how digital ID helps individuals with procedures that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Changes

Starmer admitted that the administration 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 advocate for the huge benefits ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the benefits that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian premier regarding civil liberties and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. Starmer acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how the country was continuing to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"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. "This included a broad spectrum of dialogue, but we outlined the actions that we are taking in relation to energy."

Starmer also said he had brought up the situation of the UK-based activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian prison for almost a decade without undergoing a complete legal process. It is frequently mentioned as one of the worst examples of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained overseas.

However, he did not suggest much progress had been made. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the families in the near future, as well as raising it today."

Future Plans

Starmer is largely anticipated 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.

This bilateral connection is under the spotlight because of the collapse of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide new proof that the country is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister said the UK was eager to explore additional commercial partnerships but emphasized that a trade deal 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 ongoing approach of the administration in relation to China."