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"I will remain in the same seat by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, joking that if the discussion proceeded smoothly, he might invite us into Downing Street for another chat next year.

For a PM, there's rarely ever break for leaders. In the hour before the interview began, Starmer had been in calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to understand what on earth had occurred in Venezuela, where his big friend, US President Donald Trump, had recently attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time our lengthy talk, which was far more extended than typical, had ended, Maduro had been indicted in New York.

A Reboot for the New Year

With the year starts, Starmer appears to have had a degree of a refresh. Perhaps even just a little relaxation with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

That certainly appeared to have resulted in improved morale than at the sluggish tail end of 2025, a terrible annus horribilis for him.

But are he and his colleagues kidding themselves if they believe his standing are set to turn around?

Leadership Questions

The harsh truth for the PM is that numerous of his colleagues believe he's underperforming at his job. Several of them would sooner gamble and remove him sooner rather than later.

However Starmer was rejecting the idea during our conversation on Saturday morning.

On several occasions he insisted he'd be "judged at the poll", arguing nobody would remove his five-year mandate from him – even if the best chance of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 might be for Labour to replace leader.

"This is the battle of our times and I plan to be at the forefront," he affirmed.

The May Elections

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

Accurate – up to a point. But even though he may be reluctant to admit it, No 10 will be evaluated by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir stating that there were no situation under which he would walk away, should one of his colleagues contested his leadership for the job, if those elections prove catastrophic for Labour.

Promises of Improvement

He sought to rationalise his low poll ratings by saying the public was understandably impatient for things to improve. He tried to assure the interviewer, and the public, that this year would be distinct.

The economy would recover despite rising unemployment, he said, when policies the government put in place during their first turbulent year began to take effect.

• He pledged to close asylum hotels before the current target date of 2029, although he wouldn't put a firm date on that.
• He added too, with the qualification that it wasn't a certainty, that a peace agreement in Ukraine felt closer now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western allies were now discussing how to coordinate US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to safeguard a possible peace.

His central point is that in 2026 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 – less tense, perhaps, with more time to talk.

But despite encountering demands from various quarters for a more decisive strategy, with increased political clarity, more urgency, more pace and more immediacy, his explanations were repeated ones.

Given that he is in such significant political peril, does he need a different script?

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

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

Regrets and Risks

The PM admitted that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an controversy when comments he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – resurfaced.

Starmer blamed "the system" for not catching what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying not my fault.

And he is inviting evident political perils as the year progresses. His close relationship with the US president acquires a new jeopardy after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over his career, the thought he would be comfortable with such action seems far-fetched.

Policy Stances and Pressures

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

Some called for him to condemn it before the interview. And the government is likely to face further scrutiny to give an explicit view in Parliament in the coming days.

There has also long been bubbling pressure in the Labour party to reverse or renegotiate some of the results of Brexit.

The PM denies he's pursuing that, but his new more concrete plan to integrate further with the EU's single market – the giant economic European trading zone – will likely trigger protests that he is reneging on his vow never to try to undo the decisions that flowed from Brexit.

A move to integrate into more of the single market will delight many on his side of the party, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to