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"I will remain in this seat by 2027," Starmer stated, joking that if the conversation proceeded smoothly, he might invite the interviewer into Number 10 for a follow-up conversation next year.

There is never truly time off for leaders. Shortly before we sat down, Starmer had been in calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and trying to understand exactly what had occurred in Venezuela, where his key ally, US President Donald Trump, had recently targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time our lengthy talk, which was much longer than usual, had ended, Maduro had been formally accused in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

With the new year begins, the Prime Minister appears to have had a degree of a refresh. Maybe even just a little a rest with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

This appeared to have put him in better spirits than at the sluggish conclusion of 2025, a dreadful year politically for him.

Yet, are he and his colleagues being unrealistic if they believe his fortunes are set to get better?

Party Concerns

The harsh reality for the prime minister is that numerous of his colleagues believe he's not very good at his job. A faction of them would sooner take a risk and get him out in 2026.

But Sir Keir was dismissing such talk in the interview on Saturday morning.

Multiple times he stated he'd be "assessed at the poll", insisting nobody would take his term from him – despite the fact that the best chance of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 might be for Labour to change its leader.

"This is the struggle of our times and I plan to lead us," he affirmed.

The May Elections

The challenge for the prime minister is that he will be assessed far sooner than then – in a huge set of elections in May across the UK. He sought to contend, perhaps too much, that they are concerning who runs local authorities, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

True – in part. But even though he may not want to admit it, No 10 will be evaluated by those elections too.

Despite this, Sir Keir suggesting that there were no circumstances under which he would step down, even if one of his colleagues challenged him for the job, if those elections be catastrophic for Labour.

Promises of Improvement

He attempted to rationalise his unpopularity by saying the electorate was reasonably eager for things to get better. He aimed to assure the interviewer, and the public, that this year would be different.

The economic situation would recover despite rising unemployment, he argued, when plans the administration put in place during their initial turbulent year began to bear fruit.

• He vowed to empty asylum hotels ahead of the current target date of 2029, although he wouldn't put a new date on that.
• He added too, with the proviso that it wasn't a foregone conclusion, that a settlement in Ukraine felt a greater possibility now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western allies were now discussing how to integrate US and European forces to offer security for Ukraine – to protect a potential peace.

His central message is that this year the country will "turn the corner".

Familiar Arguments

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

But despite facing pressure from within his own party for a bolder strategy, with greater political direction, more urgency, more speed and more immediacy, his arguments were well-known ones.

When he finds himself in considerable political trouble, should he consider a change of tack?

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

The Prime Minister's challenges are not just because governing is difficult, but because he and his colleagues have erred, even in the last few weeks.

Regrets and Risks

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

Sir Keir blamed "the system" for not realising what the activist had said before – a fancier way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is facing clear political dangers as the year unfolds. His close relationship with the US president acquires a new jeopardy after Trump's military action on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over his career, the thought he would be comfortable with this kind of intervention seems unlikely.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He stated he was a "longtime advocate of international law" but the public "simply lack the full picture at the moment".

Some called for him to condemn it before we spoke. And the government is likely to face more pressure to give an clear view in Parliament in the coming days.

And there has always been bubbling tension in the Labour ranks to undo or remake some of the results of Brexit.

The PM disputes he's doing that, but his new specific pledge to align more closely with the single market – the vast economic European market – will likely provoke accusations that he is breaking his promise never to try to undo the results that followed Brexit.

A commitment to cosy up to more of the single market will delight many on his backbenches, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to