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"I will be sitting in this office by 2027," Starmer declared, noting that if the interview proceeded smoothly, he might invite the interviewer into Number 10 for another chat in 2026.

There is rarely ever time off for prime ministers. Shortly before the interview began, Sir Keir had been speaking with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to understand exactly what had happened in Venezuela, where his close friend, US President Donald Trump, had recently attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once the discussion, which was much longer than normal, had concluded, Maduro had been formally accused in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

With the new year begins, Sir Keir appears to have had a degree of a refresh. Perhaps even just some a rest with the family at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

This seemed to have resulted in improved morale than at the sluggish conclusion of 2025, a terrible annus horribilis for him.

But are he and his supporters kidding themselves if they think his fortunes are poised to improve?

Internal Doubts

The grisly truth for the prime minister is that numerous of his party members think he's underperforming at his job. A faction of them would rather gamble and oust him this year.

However Sir Keir was having none of it during our conversation on Saturday morning.

On several occasions he insisted he'd be "judged at the general election", arguing nobody would remove his term from him – despite the fact that the best chance of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 may be for Labour to change leader.

"This is the battle of our generation and I aim to lead us," he said.

The Spring Test

The challenge for the PM is that he will be judged well ahead of then – in a huge set of elections in May across the UK. He tried to contend, perhaps excessively, that they are concerning who runs local authorities, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not about Westminster.

Accurate – up to a point. But although he may be reluctant to admit it, No 10 will be held accountable by those elections too.

Despite this, Sir Keir suggesting that there were no situation under which he would resign, should one of his colleagues ran against him for the job, if those elections be very poor for Labour.

Promises of Improvement

He sought to account for his low poll ratings by saying the voters was understandably eager for things to change. He sought to convince the interviewer, and the public, that this year would be distinct.

The economic situation would strengthen notwithstanding rising unemployment, he claimed, when plans the administration enacted during their initial turbulent year began to show results.

• He pledged to shut asylum hotels ahead of the current deadline of 2029, although he did not set a new date on that.
• He noted too, with the proviso that it was not a foregone conclusion, that a settlement in Ukraine felt a greater possibility now than at any point since Russia's full-scale invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western partners were now considering how to combine US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to guard a potential peace.

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

Political Challenges

The prime minister may have communicated with renewed vitality than I've seen from him for a while – calmer, maybe, with a longer slot to talk.

But despite facing calls from various quarters for a more decisive approach, with increased political direction, more dynamism, more pace and more immediacy, his arguments were well-known ones.

When he finds himself in such significant political difficulty, should he consider a different script?

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

Sir Keir's problems are not just because government is difficult, but because he and his colleagues have faltered, including in the last few weeks.

Controversies and Dangers

The PM expressed regret that he was sorry for saying he was "pleased" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK following an outcry when past remarks he'd made in the past – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – surfaced.

Sir Keir blamed "procedures" for failing to identify what the activist had said before – a fancier way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is facing obvious political perils as the year gets going. His alliance with the US president takes on a new jeopardy after Trump's military action on Venezuela.

Based on years of interviewing Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over his career, the notion he would be content with these events seems implausible.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He stated he was a "lifelong champion of international law" but we "just do not have the complete details at the moment".

Opponents demanded denounce it before we spoke. And the administration is expected to face more pressure to give an explicit view in Parliament in the coming days.

There has also long been growing desire in the Labour party to undo or remake some of the results of Brexit.

The PM disputes he's doing that, but his new more concrete commitment to integrate further with the European trading bloc – the giant economic European trading zone – will probably trigger protests that he is going back on his vow never to try to reverse the decisions that stemmed from Brexit.

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