Keir Starmer Commends President Trump's Gaza Ceasefire Deal – But Stops Short of Nobel Prize Backing

The Prime Minister has stated that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided endorsing the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Welcome Development to the World"

Starmer commented that the first phase of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to India, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and paired with the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Addressed

But, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now grant Donald Trump the prestigious award, Starmer suggested that more time was required to determine if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to move forward and implement this ... my focus now is moving this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that is important to me above all," he told reporters at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Business Deals Announced During India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a number of deals finalized during his tour to India – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit marks the passing of the two nations' trade pact.

• The UK government has unveiled a slew of investments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a military agreement worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be deployed by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he remarked as he departed Mumbai. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are remaking this partnership for our era."

Digital ID Initiative Examined

Starmer has dedicated time in India studying the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who designed the comprehensive platform used by over a billion individuals for social services, payments, and identification.

The prime minister suggested that the UK was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would in time look at linking it to financial and payments systems – 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 ensures that you can access your own funds, conduct transactions so much more easily than is possible with others," he noted.

"The speed with which it enables citizens here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions yesterday, and in fact a financial technology discussion that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification helps individuals with procedures that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and simplifies them for them."

Public Support for Reforms

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the UK citizens, which have declined sharply in public approval since he proposed them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I think that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in other countries, citizens say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues 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 relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made little headway. He confirmed that he and Modi talked about how India was persisting to purchase oil from Russia, which is subject to extensive international restrictions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on ending this conflict and the multiple measures will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we did set out the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

Starmer also said he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been detained in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without undergoing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained abroad.

However, he did not suggest much progress had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the diplomatic matters," he said. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the families in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented trip to the People's Republic of China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to ease diplomatic ties between the UK and the Asian nation.

That relationship is under the spotlight because of the dismissal of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide new proof that the country is considered a security risk.

Starmer clarified the UK was eager to pursue additional commercial partnerships but stated 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 position is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we must, and that's been the ongoing approach of the government in regarding China."