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"I'll be sitting in the same seat by 2027," the Prime Minister declared, joking that if the discussion proceeded smoothly, he might welcome the interviewer into Downing Street for a follow-up talk next year.

There is never any break for leaders. Just an hour before the interview began, Starmer had been on the phone with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to decipher precisely had happened in Venezuela, where his close friend, US President Donald Trump, had just targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once the discussion, which was considerably lengthier than typical, had concluded, Maduro had been indicted in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

As the year commences, the Prime Minister seems to have had something of a revitalisation. Maybe even just a little downtime with his family at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

This seemed to have resulted in better spirits than at the sluggish end of 2025, a terrible year politically for him.

But are he and his supporters deluding themselves if they think his political fate are set to get better?

Leadership Questions

The harsh reality for the prime minister is that numerous of his colleagues are convinced he's not very good at his job. Some of them would rather take a risk and oust him this year.

However Starmer was dismissing such talk during our conversation on Saturday morning.

Multiple times he insisted he'd be "evaluated at the general election", arguing no one would strip his electoral mandate from him – even if the optimal path of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 may be for Labour to switch leader.

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

The May Elections

The issue for the prime minister is that he will be scrutinised long before then – in a mega set of elections in May throughout the UK. He sought to argue, maybe excessively, that they are about who runs local authorities, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

Accurate – to some extent. But although he may be reluctant to concede it, No 10 will be held accountable by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir suggesting that there were no circumstances under which he would resign, even if a his colleagues contested his leadership for the job, if those elections be catastrophic for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He tried to rationalise his low poll ratings by saying the public was understandably impatient for things to improve. He aimed to convince the interviewer, and the nation, that this year would be different.

The economy would strengthen despite rising unemployment, he said, when plans the government enacted during their first rocky year began to bear fruit.

• He committed to close asylum hotels before the current deadline of 2029, although he wouldn't set a firm date on that.
• He noted too, with the caveat that it was not a foregone conclusion, that a settlement in Ukraine felt a greater possibility now than at any point since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western partners were now considering how to coordinate US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to guard a possible peace.

His big argument is that soon the country will "turn the corner".

A Consistent Script

The prime minister may have spoken with more energy than I've seen from him for a some time – less tense, maybe, with a longer slot to talk.

However, in spite of encountering pressure from within his own party for a more decisive strategy, with increased political clarity, more urgency, more speed and more urgency, his arguments were familiar ones.

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

No government, and certainly not one that has been unpopular for an extended period, gets everything its as desired.

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

Regrets and Risks

The prime minister expressed regret that he was sorry for saying he was "pleased" to see the return of the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an backlash when comments he'd made in the past – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

Starmer attributed it to "procedures" for failing to identify what the activist had said before – a fancier way of saying not my fault.

And he is inviting clear political perils as the year unfolds. His friendship 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 was against the war in Iraq, over many years, the idea he would be content with this kind of intervention seems unlikely.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He told me he was a "longtime proponent of international law" but we "just lack the complete details at the moment".

Opponents demanded condemn it before the interview. And the government is expected to face increased demands to give an explicit view in Parliament in the near future.

There has also consistently been bubbling tension in the Labour ranks to reverse or renegotiate some of the outcomes of Brexit.

Sir Keir disputes he's heading in that direction, but his new specific plan to integrate further with the EU's single market – the huge economic European trading zone – will probably trigger accusations that he is breaking his promise never to try to overturn the results that flowed from Brexit.

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