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"I will remain in this office by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, noting that if the conversation was successful, he might welcome us into his official residence for another conversation next year.

For a PM, there's rarely ever time off for prime ministers. Just an hour before the interview began, Sir Keir had been on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to decipher exactly what had happened in Venezuela, where his key political chum, US President Donald Trump, had recently attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once our lengthy talk, which was far more extended than typical, had finished, Maduro had been charged in New York.

A Reboot for the New Year

With the new year begins, the Prime Minister appears to have had a kind of a revitalisation. Perhaps even just a little downtime with his family at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat.

That certainly appeared to have resulted in better spirits than at the difficult end of 2025, a dreadful year politically for him.

Yet, are he and his colleagues kidding themselves if they reckon his political fate are set to get better?

Internal Doubts

The harsh truth for the PM is that numerous of his colleagues believe he's underperforming at his job. Some of them would rather take a risk and oust him sooner rather than later.

However Starmer was having none of it in the interview on Saturday morning.

On several occasions he told me he'd be "judged at the general election", arguing nobody would take his term from him – even if the optimal path of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK entering No 10 could be for Labour to replace its leader.

"This is the battle of our lifetime and I intend to guide the party," he affirmed.

The May Elections

The problem for the PM is that he will be assessed far sooner than then – in a huge set of elections in May across the UK. He attempted to contend, perhaps excessively, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

True – to some extent. But although he may be reluctant to concede it, No 10 will be held accountable by those elections too.

Despite this, Sir Keir implying that there were no circumstances under which he would step down, should one of his MPs ran against him for the job, if those elections be disastrous for Labour.

Promises of Improvement

He tried to explain his unpopularity by saying the electorate was understandably eager for things to improve. He aimed to convince me, and the public, that this year would be a change.

The economy would strengthen notwithstanding rising unemployment, he said, when strategies the government implemented during their first rocky year began to bear fruit.

• He vowed to shut asylum hotels before the current target date of 2029, but he did not put a specific date on that.
• He said too, with the caveat that it wasn't a foregone conclusion, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt more likely now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He revealed for the first occasion that Western partners were now talking about how to integrate US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to protect a potential peace.

His big argument is that soon the country will "turn the corner".

Political Challenges

The prime minister may have communicated with greater vigour than I've seen from him for a some time – calmer, maybe, with more time to talk.

However, in spite of encountering demands from within his own party for a bolder approach, with much more political direction, more dynamism, more pace and more urgency, his explanations were familiar ones.

When he finds himself in such significant political trouble, should he consider a different script?

No administration, and certainly not one that has been unpopular for an extended period, has everything its own way.

Sir Keir's challenges are not just because government is difficult, but because he and his colleagues have faltered, including in the last few weeks.

Regrets and Risks

The prime minister expressed regret that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an backlash when comments he'd made in the past – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

Starmer attributed it to "the system" for not catching what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is inviting obvious political perils as the year gets going. His alliance with the US president acquires a new complication after Trump's strikes on Venezuela.

Based on years of interviewing Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over many years, the notion he would be comfortable with these events seems implausible.

International Law and Brexit

He stated he was a "longtime proponent of international law" but we "just do not have the full picture at the moment".

Some wanted him to criticise the action prior to we spoke. And the government is likely to face increased demands to give an clear view in Parliament in the near future.

There has also consistently been growing tension in the Labour ranks to undo or remake some of the consequences of Brexit.

Sir Keir disputes he's pursuing that, but his new firmer pledge to move closer with the EU's single market – the giant economic European trading zone – will probably trigger howls that he is reneging on his promise never to try to undo the decisions that followed Brexit.

A move to integrate into more of the single market will satisfy many on his side of the party, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to