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"I will be sitting in the same seat by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, noting that if our interview went well, he might welcome us into his official residence for another conversation in the coming year.

For a PM, there's rarely ever downtime for those in the top job. Shortly before we sat down, the PM had been in calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and trying to understand what on earth had transpired in Venezuela, where his key ally, US President Donald Trump, had just launched a strike against and detained its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once our lengthy talk, which was considerably lengthier than usual, had concluded, Maduro had been charged in New York.

A Reboot for the New Year

But as the year starts, Sir Keir seems to have had a kind of a revitalisation. Maybe even just a little downtime with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

This seemed to have put him in better spirits than at the saggy conclusion of 2025, a awful year politically for him.

But are he and his supporters kidding themselves if they believe his fortunes are poised to get better?

Party Concerns

The grisly reality for the prime minister is that many of his colleagues believe he's not very good at his job. Several of them would rather take a risk and get him out this year.

However Starmer was having none of it in the interview on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he stated he'd be "evaluated at the general election", maintaining nobody would take his five-year mandate from him – even if the best chance of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 may be for Labour to switch its leader.

"We are in the battle of our generation and I intend to guide the party," he declared.

The May Elections

The issue for the prime minister is that he will be judged far sooner than then – in a mega set of elections in May throughout the UK. He sought to protest, maybe excessively, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and unrelated to Westminster.

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

Despite this, Sir Keir implying that there were no circumstances under which he would resign, should one of his MPs challenged him for the job, should those elections prove catastrophic for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He attempted to account for his low poll ratings by saying the electorate was understandably anxious for things to improve. He aimed to persuade the interviewer, and the public, that the coming months would be a change.

The economy would recover notwithstanding rising unemployment, he argued, when strategies the administration implemented during their first rocky year began to bear fruit.

• He committed to close asylum hotels before the current target date of 2029, but he did not put a new date on that.
• He noted too, with the qualification that it was not a certainty, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt closer now than at any point since Russia's major invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western partners were now talking about how to coordinate US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to guard a potential peace.

His big message is that in 2026 the country will "turn the corner".

Political Challenges

The prime minister may have spoken with more energy than observed from him for a some time – calmer, maybe, with more time to talk.

However, in spite of facing demands from various quarters for a bolder strategy, with much more political clarity, more vigour, more pace and more urgency, his arguments were well-known ones.

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

No government, 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 just because governing is hard, but because he and his colleagues have made mistakes, including in the last few weeks.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister 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 comments he'd made in the past – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – resurfaced.

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 courting obvious political perils as the year gets going. His friendship with the US president takes on a new jeopardy after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over many years, the notion he would be content with such action seems implausible.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He told me he was a "lifelong proponent of international law" but the public "simply do not have the complete details at the moment".

Opponents demanded criticise the action before the interview. And the administration is expected to face more pressure to give an definitive view in Parliament in the next few days.

And there has always been growing desire in the Labour ranks to undo or remake some of the outcomes of Brexit.

The PM disputes he's pursuing that, but his new firmer commitment to align more closely with the EU's single market – the giant economic European market – will likely trigger protests that he is going back on his promise never to try to reverse the choices that stemmed from Brexit.

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