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"I will remain in the same seat by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, adding that if the interview was successful, he might invite us into Downing Street for another conversation in 2026.

There is never truly time off for prime ministers. In the hour before the interview began, Starmer had been speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and trying to decipher precisely had transpired in Venezuela, where his key political chum, US President Donald Trump, had recently attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once the discussion, which was far more extended than usual, had concluded, Maduro had been charged in New York.

A Refresh for the New Year

With the new year begins, Sir Keir appears to have had a degree of a reboot. Maybe even just a little a rest with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

This seemed to have put him in improved morale than at the difficult end of 2025, a terrible political year for him.

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

Internal Doubts

The uncomfortable truth for the leader is that many of his fellow MPs think he's not very good at his job. Some of them would sooner take a risk and get him out sooner rather than later.

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

On several occasions he insisted he'd be "judged at the poll", insisting no one would take his five-year mandate from him – despite the fact that the most effective strategy of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 could be for Labour to change its leader.

"This is the fight of our lifetime and I intend to be at the forefront," he said.

Upcoming Local Votes

The issue for the prime minister is that he will be assessed well ahead of then – in a mega set of elections in May throughout the UK. He tried to argue, maybe excessively, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not about Westminster.

Accurate – to some extent. But even though he may be reluctant to acknowledge it, No 10 will be evaluated by those elections too.

Despite this, Sir Keir implying that there were no scenario under which he would resign, should a his MPs ran against him for the job, should those elections be very poor for Labour.

An Optimistic Outlook

He attempted to account for his low poll ratings by saying the electorate was understandably anxious for things to get better. He aimed to assure the interviewer, and the public, that this year would be a change.

The economic situation would recover notwithstanding rising unemployment, he argued, when plans the government enacted during their initial turbulent year began to bear fruit.

• He vowed to close asylum hotels before the current target date of 2029, although he wouldn't put a firm date on that.
• He noted too, with the qualification that it was not a foregone conclusion, that a settlement in Ukraine felt closer now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western partners were now talking about how to integrate US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to guard a potential peace.

His core argument is that this year the country will "turn the corner".

A Consistent Script

The PM may have spoken with more energy than observed from him for a while – less tense, perhaps, with a longer slot to talk.

But despite facing demands from within his own party for a more decisive approach, with increased political vision, more vigour, more speed and more immediacy, his arguments were repeated ones.

Given that he is in considerable political peril, is a different approach required a change of tack?

No administration, and certainly not one that has been struggling in the polls for an extended period, has everything its as desired.

The Prime Minister's problems are not only because governing is hard, but because he and his team have faltered, including in the recent past.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister admitted 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 past remarks he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

Starmer 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 inviting evident political dangers as the year unfolds. His friendship with the US president acquires a new jeopardy after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over his career, the idea he would be content with these events seems implausible.

Policy Stances and Pressures

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

Opponents called for him to criticise the action before the interview. And the administration is expected to face increased demands to give an definitive view in Parliament in the next few days.

And there has long been bubbling desire in the Labour ranks to revisit some of the outcomes of Brexit.

Sir Keir denies he's heading in that direction, but his new specific pledge to move closer with the European trading bloc – the vast economic European market – will likely trigger protests that he is breaking his pledge never to try to undo the choices that flowed from Brexit.

A commitment to cosy up to more of the single market will satisfy many on his own side, but it is simple material for Reform and the Conservatives to