🔗 Share this article

Keir Starmer has declared that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," yet avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel Prize.

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

Starmer commented that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the United States and negotiators.

Addressing the media on the final day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the deal "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Answered

But, when questioned if the Nobel prize committee should now award Donald Trump the coveted award, Starmer suggested that more time was required to know if a durable peace could be achieved.

"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 media briefing in Mumbai.

Trade and Investment Revealed During India Visit

The Prime Minister has hailed a number of deals finalized during his tour to the country – his first time there – joined by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The visit signifies the implementation of the countries' trade pact.

• The UK government has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On Thursday, Starmer finalized a defence deal worth £350 million for British-made missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian army.

"Our history together is profound, the personal ties between our citizens are exceptionally strong," he said as he left the city. "Building on our historic trade deal, we are remaking this alliance for our times."

Digital Identification Initiative Examined

Starmer has spent time in India studying the Indian digital ID system, including meeting principal architects who designed the widespread system used by more than 1 billion people for social services, transactions, and verification.

He hinted that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the application of digital identification beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He proposed that the UK would eventually 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's been taken up on a voluntary basis [in India] in huge numbers, partly because it ensures that you can access your own funds, make payments so much more easily than is available with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, particularly banking options, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had today. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification assists individuals with procedures that sometimes take excessive time and are overly complex and makes them easier for them."

Public Support for Reforms

Starmer admitted that the government had to make the case for the initiatives to the British public, which have plummeted in public approval since he proposed 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 benefits that accompany this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he stated.

Human Rights and International Relations Addressed

Starmer said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and relations with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made minimal progress. Starmer confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how India was continuing to buy oil from Russia, which is facing extensive international restrictions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the focus on ending this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he commented. "This included a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the steps that we are taking in relation to energy."

Starmer also said he had brought up the situation of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been held in an Indian prison for almost a decade without facing a full trial. It is frequently mentioned as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among Britons still held overseas.

However, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we brought up 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 scheduled to meet the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented trip to China in the next 12 months as part of a effort to improve relations between the United Kingdom 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 unwilling to provide new proof that China is considered a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to explore additional commercial partnerships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our stance is to cooperate where we can, challenge where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."