Breakthrough in Gaza possible thanks to US president’s leadership, says prime minister during India trade visit
Breakthrough in Gaza possible thanks to US president’s leadership, says prime minister during India trade visit
Keir Starmer has said the Gaza ceasefire deal “would not have happened without President Trump’s leadership”, but stopped short of endorsing the US president for a Nobel peace prize.
The prime minister said the first phase of the deal would be a “relief to the world” and that the UK had played its own role behind the scenes with the US and with negotiators.
Speaking on the final day of his trade visit to India, Starmer said the agreement “must now be implemented in full, without delay, and accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza”.
But asked if the Nobel prize committee should now give Trump the coveted prize, Starmer suggested that time was needed to know if a longer lasting peace could be achieved.
“What matters now is to press on and implement this … my focus now is moving this from the stage it’s at now … and make a success of this, because that matters to me more than anything else,” he told a press conference in Mumbai.
Starmer has hailed a number of deals sealed during his visit to India – his first time in the country – accompanied by 126 business leaders and cultural leaders. The visit marks the passing of the countries’ free trade agreement.
No 10 has announced a slew of investments, from fintech to university campuses, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK. On Thursday, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, manufactured in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian army.
“Our history together is deep, the human connections between our people are truly special,” Starmer said as he left Mumbai. “Building on our historic trade deal, we are remaking this partnership for our times.
