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The Prime Minister has asserted that the truce deal in Gaza "would not have occurred without the leadership of Donald Trump," but avoided supporting the US president for a Nobel Prize.

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

Starmer remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and highlighted that the United Kingdom had played its own role in private discussions with the US and mediators.

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

Nobel Prize Question Answered

However, when questioned if the Nobel committee should at this time award Trump the prestigious prize, the Prime Minister implied that more time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.

"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 more than anything else," he stated at a media briefing in India's financial capital.

Trade and Investment Announced During India Visit

Starmer has celebrated a series of agreements finalized during his visit to the country – his maiden visit there – joined by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the countries' free trade agreement.

• No 10 has announced a range of financial commitments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the production of multiple Indian movies in the UK.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be deployed by the Indian army.

"The shared history is profound, the personal ties between our people are exceptionally strong," Starmer remarked as he departed the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are remaking this partnership for our era."

Digital Identification System Examined

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who developed the comprehensive platform used by more than 1 billion people for benefits, transactions, and identification.

The prime minister hinted that the United Kingdom was considering expanding the scope of digital ID beyond making it mandatory to prove rights to work. He proposed that the UK would in time look at linking it to financial and payments systems – on a optional 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, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own funds, make payments so much more conveniently than is available with alternative methods," he noted.

"The speed with which it allows citizens here to utilize facilities, especially financial services, is something that was recognized in our talks yesterday, and actually a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're looking at those instances of how digital identification assists people with procedures that often take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer acknowledged that the administration had to make the case for the reforms to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since he announced them.

"In my view now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that accompany this ... as has occurred in other countries, citizens say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and therefore I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Human Rights and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had brought up a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and ties with Russia, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He confirmed that he and Prime Minister Modi discussed how the country was persisting to purchase Russian oil, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For prime minister Modi and myself the priority on resolving this conflict and the various steps will be taken to that purpose," he commented. "And that was a wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the actions that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also said he had brought up the situation of the UK-based activist Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, who has been detained in an Indian jail for almost a decade without undergoing a full trial. It is often cited as one of the most egregious cases of unfair treatment among Britons currently detained abroad.

However, he did not indicate much progress had been achieved. "Yes, we brought up the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is scheduled to meet the families in coming weeks, as well as discussing it now."

Upcoming Initiatives

The prime minister is widely expected to take a comparable business-oriented visit 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 China.

That relationship is receiving attention because of the dismissal of a Chinese spying case, said to have happened because the British authorities has been unwilling to provide new proof that China is deemed a threat.

The Prime Minister clarified the United Kingdom was keen to explore other trading relationships but stated that a commercial agreement with the nation was not currently planned. "It is not a priority, for a bilateral pact as such, but our position is to work together where we can, confront where we need to, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in regarding China."