Keir Starmer Applauds President Trump's Gaza Truce Deal – However Declines of Peace Prize Endorsement

Keir Starmer has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "could not have happened without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet stopped short of supporting the American leader for a Nobel Prize.

Truce Agreement Welcomed as a "Relief to the Globe"

Starmer remarked that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the UK had played its own role in private discussions with the United States and mediators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, the British leader stressed that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without postponement, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Question Addressed

However, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time award Trump the coveted prize, the Prime Minister suggested that time was required to determine if a durable peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is moving this from the stage it's at now ... and ensure the success of this, because that matters to me above all," he told reporters at a press conference in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Announced During Trip to India

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

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350m for British-made missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian military.

"The shared history is deep, the human connections between our people are exceptionally strong," Starmer said as he departed the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are remaking this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification System Studied

The Prime Minister has spent time in Mumbai studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting principal architects who designed the comprehensive platform used by over a billion individuals for benefits, transactions, and verification.

The prime minister hinted that the UK was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the UK would in time look at connecting it to financial and transaction networks – on a voluntary basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It has been adopted on a voluntary basis [in India] in massive scale, partly because it means that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it allows citizens here to access services, especially financial services, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and actually a Fintech conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital ID helps people with processes that sometimes take too long and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Reforms

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

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the huge benefits ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has happened in different nations, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and consequently I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a range of challenging issues with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with Russia, though he seemed to have made little headway. He acknowledged that he and Modi discussed how the country was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the priority on resolving this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that purpose," he commented. "This included a wide range of dialogue, but we outlined the steps that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer also mentioned he had brought up the case of the UK-based activist the individual, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian jail for almost a decade without facing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of injustice among Britons currently detained overseas.

But, he did not suggest much progress had been made. "Yes, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We consistently address them when we have the chance to do so. I should say that the foreign secretary is meeting the relatives 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 the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease relations between the United Kingdom and the Asian nation.

That relationship is receiving attention 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.

Starmer clarified the UK was eager to explore other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to work together where we can, challenge where we need to, and this has been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."