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"I will remain in the same seat by 2027," the Prime Minister stated, adding that if our discussion went well, he might invite us into Number 10 for a follow-up conversation in 2026.

There is never truly break for those in the top job. In the hour before our chat started, Starmer had been speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to work out precisely had transpired in Venezuela, where his close ally, US President Donald Trump, had just attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once the discussion, which was considerably lengthier than usual, had ended, Maduro had been formally accused in New York.

A Reboot for the New Year

As the new year begins, Sir Keir seems to have had a kind of a revitalisation. Maybe even just some relaxation with the family at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

That certainly appeared to have put him in better spirits than at the difficult conclusion of 2025, a dreadful political year for him.

Yet, are he and his colleagues kidding themselves if they believe his fortunes are poised to get better?

Internal Doubts

The harsh reality for the prime minister is that numerous of his fellow MPs believe he's underperforming at his job. Several of them would rather take a risk and get him out sooner rather than later.

But Starmer was dismissing such talk when we spoke on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he stated he'd be "assessed at the next election", arguing no one would strip his electoral mandate from him – even if the optimal path of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK entering No 10 could be for Labour to switch its leader.

"We are in the struggle of our lifetime and I aim to be at the forefront," he affirmed.

The May Elections

The issue for the PM is that he will be scrutinised far sooner than then – in a huge set of elections in May throughout the UK. He sought to protest, perhaps excessively, that they are concerning who runs local authorities, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

True – up to a point. But even though he may be reluctant to acknowledge it, No 10 will be evaluated by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir implying that there were no circumstances under which he would step down, should a his colleagues challenged him for the job, if those elections be catastrophic for Labour.

Promises of Improvement

He attempted to account for his low poll ratings by saying the electorate was understandably eager for things to get better. He tried to persuade the interviewer, and the nation, that 2026 would be different.

The economic situation would strengthen in the face of rising unemployment, he claimed, when policies the administration enacted during their first turbulent year began to take effect.

• He vowed to shut asylum hotels ahead of the current target date of 2029, but he wouldn't set a firm date on that.
• He added too, with the proviso that it wasn't a certainty, that a peace agreement in Ukraine felt closer now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He disclosed for the first occasion that Western allies were now considering how to coordinate US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to protect a possible peace.

His core point is that this year the country will "reach a turning point".

A Consistent Script

The PM may have communicated with greater vigour than observed from him for a some time – less tense, perhaps, with more time to talk.

However, in spite of encountering demands from within his own party for a more decisive approach, with greater political direction, more urgency, more pace and more urgency, his explanations were repeated ones.

Given that he is in considerable political trouble, is a different approach required a new narrative?

No government, and especially not one that has been struggling in the polls for many months, gets everything its own way.

Sir Keir's problems are not only because governing is difficult, but because he and his colleagues have erred, including in the recent past.

Regrets and Risks

The prime minister told me that he was sorry for saying he was "pleased" 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 – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – surfaced.

Sir Keir attributed it to "procedures" for not catching what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying not my fault.

And he is inviting obvious political dangers as the year gets going. His close relationship with the US president entails a new complication after Trump's strikes on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over a long period, the idea he would be content with these events seems implausible.

International Law and Brexit

He stated he was a "career-long proponent of international law" but we "just haven't got the entire story at the moment".

Opponents demanded denounce it prior to the interview. And the government is likely to face increased demands to give an clear view in Parliament in the coming days.

There has also consistently been bubbling pressure in the Labour ranks to revisit some of the consequences of Brexit.

Sir Keir disputes he's heading in that direction, but his new specific pledge to align more closely with the single market – the vast economic European trading zone – will likely elicit accusations that he is reneging on his promise never to try to reverse the results that stemmed from Brexit.

A move to cosy up to more of the single market will delight many on his side of the party, but it is easy fodder for Reform and the Conservatives to