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The Prime Minister has declared that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet stopped short of endorsing the US president for a Nobel Prize.

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

The prime minister remarked that the first phase of the agreement would be a "welcome news globally" and noted that the United Kingdom had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and negotiators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to India, the British leader stressed that the deal "must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all limitations on critical humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Peace Prize Inquiry Addressed

But, when asked if the Nobel prize committee should now award Donald Trump the coveted prize, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be attained.

"What matters now is to move forward and execute this ... my focus now is transitioning 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 press conference in Mumbai.

Business Deals Revealed During Trip to India

Starmer has hailed a number of deals finalized during his tour to the country – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and arts figures. The visit signifies the passing of the countries' trade pact.

• The UK government has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to higher education facilities, as well as the making of multiple Indian movies in the United Kingdom.
• On the final day, Starmer signed a military agreement worth £350 million for UK missiles, produced in the UK region, to be used by the Indian military.

"Our history together is deep, the personal ties between our citizens are truly special," he remarked as he left Mumbai. "Expanding upon our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our era."

Digital ID System Examined

Starmer has spent time in Mumbai analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting principal architects who designed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was considering broadening the scope of digital ID beyond making it compulsory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the Britain would eventually look at connecting it to financial and transaction networks – on a optional basis – as well as for administrative tasks such as mortgage and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in massive scale, not least because it means that you can retrieve your own money, conduct transactions so much more conveniently than is possible with others," he noted.

"The efficiency with which it enables citizens here to access services, particularly banking options, is something that was recognized in our talks recently, and actually a financial technology discussion that we had today. So we're examining those instances of how digital identification assists people with processes that sometimes take excessive time and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Changes

Starmer admitted that the administration had to build public support for the reforms to the British public, which have plummeted in popularity since Starmer announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and make that case the significant advantages ... And I believe that the greater number of individuals see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has happened in other countries, people say: 'That will simplify my daily routine,' and consequently I want to get on with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Addressed

The Prime Minister said he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding civil liberties and ties with the Russian Federation, though he seemed to have made minimal progress. He confirmed that he and Modi discussed how India was continuing to buy Russian oil, which is facing widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on ending this situation and the various steps will be taken to that end," he said. "And that was a wide range of discussion, but we outlined the actions that we are undertaking in relation to energy."

Starmer additionally mentioned he had brought up the case of the British Sikh 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 worst examples of unfair treatment among UK nationals currently detained abroad.

But, Starmer did not indicate much advancement had been achieved. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he said. "We always raise them when we have the opportunity to do so. I must add that the top diplomat is meeting the relatives in the near future, as well as discussing it today."

Upcoming Initiatives

Starmer is widely expected to take a similar business-oriented visit to the People's Republic of China in the coming year as part of a mission to ease diplomatic ties 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 UK has been reluctant to provide new proof that the country is considered a security risk.

Starmer clarified the UK was keen to pursue additional commercial partnerships but stated that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our stance is to work together where we are able, challenge where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the government in regarding China."