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"I'll remain in this position by 2027," Starmer remarked, adding that if the interview went well, he might invite us into his official residence for another chat next year.

There is never any downtime for prime ministers. Just an hour before the interview began, the PM had been speaking with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to work out precisely had happened in Venezuela, where his close friend, US President Donald Trump, had recently targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time our lengthy talk, which was considerably lengthier than usual, had concluded, Maduro had been charged in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

As the new year begins, Starmer seems to have had a kind of a reboot. Perhaps even just a little downtime with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

That certainly appeared to have resulted in a more positive mood than at the saggy end of 2025, a dreadful year politically for him.

But are he and his supporters being unrealistic if they reckon his standing are about to turn around?

Leadership Questions

The harsh reality for the PM is that many of his colleagues think he's underperforming at his job. A faction of them would rather gamble and oust him sooner rather than later.

But Starmer was having none of it during our conversation on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he stated he'd be "judged at the poll", arguing no one would strip his five-year mandate from him – despite the fact that the most effective strategy of stopping Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 could be for Labour to change leader.

"This is the fight of our generation and I plan to guide the party," he said.

Upcoming Local Votes

The issue for the PM is that he will be scrutinised well ahead of then – in a huge set of elections in May across the UK. He tried to protest, perhaps excessively, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

Accurate – to some extent. But even though he may be reluctant to admit it, No 10 will be evaluated by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir stating that there were no situation under which he would step down, even if one of his colleagues contested his leadership for the job, should those elections prove very poor for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He sought to explain his unpopularity by saying the public was naturally anxious for things to change. He sought to persuade the interviewer, and the public, that 2026 would be different.

The economy would improve notwithstanding rising unemployment, he claimed, when strategies the government implemented during their initial rocky year began to bear fruit.

• He committed to close asylum hotels before the current deadline of 2029, but he wouldn't set a firm date on that.
• He said too, with the proviso that it wasn't a done deal, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt more likely now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He stated for the first occasion that Western allies were now discussing how to coordinate US and European forces to offer security for Ukraine – to protect a possible peace.

His central message is that in 2026 the country will "turn the corner".

A Consistent Script

The prime minister may have spoken with greater vigour than I've seen from him for a some time – calmer, perhaps, with a longer slot to talk.

However, in spite of facing calls from various quarters for a more decisive approach, with greater political clarity, more urgency, more pace and more urgency, his points were well-known ones.

Given that he is in such significant political peril, should he consider a new narrative?

No administration, and especially not one that has been unpopular for many months, has everything its as desired.

The Prime Minister's problems are not just because government is challenging, but because he and his team have made mistakes, including in the last few weeks.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister admitted that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an controversy when comments he'd previously made – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

Sir Keir attributed it to "the process" for not realising what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is facing obvious political dangers as the year progresses. His close relationship with the US president acquires a new jeopardy after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Based on years of interviewing Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over his career, the thought he would be at ease with such action seems unlikely.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He stated he was a "lifelong proponent of international law" but we "simply do not have the complete details at the moment".

Critics wanted him to condemn it before we spoke. And the administration is expected to face increased demands to give an clear view in Parliament in the next few days.

There has also always been simmering pressure in the Labour party to revisit some of the consequences of Brexit.

The PM disputes he's heading in that direction, but his new more concrete commitment to integrate further with the European trading bloc – the giant economic European market – will likely provoke howls that he is reneging on his vow never to try to overturn the choices that followed Brexit.

A commitment to integrate into more of the single market will satisfy a faction on his backbenches, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to