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"I will be sitting in this office by 2027," Starmer declared, joking that if our conversation went well, he might invite us into Number 10 for a follow-up conversation in 2026.

For a PM, there's never truly downtime for leaders. Shortly before we sat down, Starmer had been speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and working to decipher what on earth had transpired in Venezuela, where his key political chum, US President Donald Trump, had recently targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

When our interview, which was far more extended than normal, had ended, Maduro had been charged in New York.

A Reboot for the New Year

As the new year begins, Starmer appears to have had something of a reboot. Maybe even just a bit of downtime with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

This appeared to have resulted in better spirits than at the sluggish tail end of 2025, a awful annus horribilis for him.

But are he and his supporters deluding themselves if they believe his political fate are poised to improve?

Internal Doubts

The harsh reality for the PM is that many of his colleagues believe he's not very good at his job. Some of them would rather gamble and remove him this year.

But Sir Keir was having none of it in the interview on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he insisted he'd be "evaluated at the poll", arguing nobody would remove his five-year mandate from him – despite the fact that the best chance of stopping Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 could be for Labour to replace leader.

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

The May Elections

The issue for the prime minister is that he will be scrutinised long before then – in a major set of elections in May across the UK. He attempted to protest, maybe too much, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the devolved administrations 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 evaluated by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir suggesting that there were no scenario under which he would walk away, should one of his MPs ran against him for the job, if those elections prove disastrous for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He sought to account for his unpopularity by saying the electorate was understandably anxious for things to improve. He sought to assure me, and the public, that the coming months would be a change.

The economic situation would improve in the face of rising unemployment, he argued, when policies the administration put in place during their initial turbulent year began to bear fruit.

• He pledged to close asylum hotels ahead of the current deadline of 2029, although he did not set a firm date on that.
• He added too, with the proviso that it wasn't a foregone conclusion, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt a greater possibility now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He revealed for the first occasion that Western partners were now discussing how to integrate US and European forces to offer security for Ukraine – to safeguard a potential peace.

His central point is that in 2026 the country will "see an improvement".

Political Challenges

The PM may have spoken with renewed vitality than I've seen from him for a while – calmer, perhaps, with more time to talk.

However, in spite of facing pressure from many directions for a more decisive strategy, with much more political vision, more vigour, more speed and more urgency, his explanations were repeated ones.

Given that he is in this much political trouble, does he need a new narrative?

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

Sir Keir's problems are not only because governing is challenging, but because he and his colleagues have faltered, even in the last few weeks.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister told me that he was sorry for saying he was "happy" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an outcry when past remarks he'd made in the past – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – surfaced.

Sir Keir blamed "procedures" for not catching what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is courting obvious political perils as the year progresses. His alliance with the US president acquires a new risk after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over many years, the thought he would be content with these events seems unlikely.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He asserted he was a "longtime proponent of international law" but the public "just lack the complete details at the moment".

Opponents called for him to condemn it prior to we spoke. And the administration is likely to face increased demands to give an clear view in Parliament in the near future.

And there has always been growing tension in the Labour party to reverse or renegotiate some of the outcomes of Brexit.

Sir Keir denies he's doing that, but his new specific commitment to move closer with the EU's single market – the giant economic European market – will likely trigger accusations that he is reneging on his promise never to try to overturn the choices that stemmed from Brexit.

A decision to align with more of the single market will please some on his backbenches, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to