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"I will be sitting in the same office by 2027," Starmer declared, joking that if the interview went well, he might invite us into his official residence for a follow-up talk in the coming year.

There is rarely ever time off for prime ministers. Shortly before we sat down, Sir Keir had been speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to understand what on earth had occurred in Venezuela, where his key friend, US President Donald Trump, had just launched a strike against and detained its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time our interview, which was much longer than normal, had ended, Maduro had been indicted in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

As the new year begins, the Prime Minister appears to have had something of a refresh. Maybe even just a little relaxation with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat.

That certainly appeared to have left him in a more positive mood than at the saggy conclusion of 2025, a awful year politically for him.

Yet, are he and his colleagues deluding themselves if they reckon his fortunes are poised to turn around?

Internal Doubts

The uncomfortable reality for the PM is that numerous of his colleagues believe he's underperforming at his job. Several of them would sooner gamble and oust him sooner rather than later.

But Starmer was dismissing such talk during our conversation on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he insisted he'd be "assessed at the general election", arguing no one would strip his electoral mandate from him – despite the fact that the most effective strategy of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 might be for Labour to change its leader.

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

Upcoming Local Votes

The problem for the prime minister is that he will be assessed long before then – in a mega set of elections in May throughout the UK. He tried to protest, perhaps excessively, that they are concerning who runs local authorities, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and unrelated to Westminster.

Accurate – in part. But even though he may be reluctant to admit it, No 10 will be judged by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir stating that there were no situation under which he would resign, should one of his colleagues challenged him for the job, if those elections be very poor for Labour.

An Optimistic Outlook

He attempted to account for his low poll ratings by saying the public was naturally anxious for things to get better. He aimed to persuade me, and the public, that the coming months would be a change.

The economy would strengthen despite rising unemployment, he said, when plans the administration enacted during their first choppy year began to bear fruit.

• He vowed to empty asylum hotels before the current deadline of 2029, but he wouldn't set a new date on that.
• He noted too, with the qualification that it wasn't a foregone conclusion, that a settlement in Ukraine felt closer now than at any point 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 guard a possible peace.

His core point is that in 2026 the country will "reach a turning point".

A Consistent Script

The prime minister may have spoken with more energy than I've seen from him for a while – calmer, maybe, with more time to talk.

But despite facing calls from within his own party for a more decisive strategy, with greater political direction, more vigour, more speed and more urgency, his explanations were repeated ones.

When he finds himself in this much political peril, should he consider a new narrative?

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

Sir Keir's challenges are not just because governing is hard, but because he and his team have made mistakes, including in the recent past.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister expressed regret that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to see the return of the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an outcry when statements he'd previously made – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – surfaced.

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

And he is facing clear political dangers as the year progresses. His alliance with the US president acquires a new risk 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 thought he would be at ease with this kind of intervention seems far-fetched.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He stated he was a "lifelong proponent of international law" but the public "simply haven't got the complete details at the moment".

Opponents wanted him to denounce it prior to the interview. And the government is likely to face further scrutiny to give an clear view in Parliament in the coming days.

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

Sir Keir disputes he's pursuing that, but his new more concrete plan to integrate further with the single market – the vast economic European trading zone – will likely elicit accusations that he is going back on his promise never to try to overturn the choices that stemmed from Brexit.

A move to cosy up to more of the single market will please many on his own side, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to