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"I will be positioned in the same seat by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, adding that if our interview was successful, he might invite the interviewer into Number 10 for another chat in the coming year.

There is rarely ever time off for leaders. In the hour before the interview began, the PM had been on the phone with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to decipher precisely had occurred in Venezuela, where his close political chum, US President Donald Trump, had just targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

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

A Refresh for the New Year

With the year starts, Sir Keir appears to have had something of a refresh. Perhaps even just a bit of downtime with his family at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

That certainly seemed to have put him in a more positive mood than at the saggy tail end of 2025, a terrible annus horribilis for him.

But are he and his colleagues deluding themselves if they reckon his fortunes are poised to get better?

Internal Doubts

The harsh reality for the prime minister is that numerous of his party members are convinced he's ineffective at his job. A faction of them would rather gamble and oust him sooner rather than later.

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

Repeatedly he insisted he'd be "judged at the poll", arguing nobody would strip his electoral mandate from him – even if the most effective strategy of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK entering No 10 could be for Labour to replace its leader.

"We are in the battle of our lifetime and I aim to lead us," he said.

The May Elections

The problem for the prime minister is that he will be scrutinised far sooner than then – in a major set of elections in May across the UK. He tried to contend, perhaps too much, that they are about who runs councils, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

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

This did not stop Sir Keir stating that there were no scenario under which he would walk away, even if a his colleagues contested his leadership for the job, if those elections prove very poor for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He sought to account for his low poll ratings by saying the public was naturally eager for things to improve. He tried to persuade the interviewer, and the nation, that this year would be a change.

The economy would strengthen in the face of rising unemployment, he claimed, when plans the government enacted during their first rocky year began to bear fruit.

• He pledged to close asylum hotels before the current target date of 2029, although he did not set a new date on that.
• He said too, with the qualification 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 disclosed for the first occasion that Western allies were now talking about how to combine US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to guard a possible peace.

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

Political Challenges

The PM may have communicated with greater vigour than observed from him for a while – more relaxed, perhaps, with more time to talk.

However, in spite of encountering calls from within his own party for a more decisive approach, with increased political clarity, more vigour, more pace and more immediacy, his points were repeated ones.

When he finds himself in this much political difficulty, should he consider a different script?

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

The Prime Minister's challenges are not just because government is difficult, but because he and his team have faltered, including in the recent past.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister admitted 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 following an backlash when past remarks he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – surfaced.

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 courting evident political perils as the year unfolds. His friendship with the US president acquires a new jeopardy after Trump's military action on Venezuela.

Based on years of interviewing Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over many years, the thought he would be at ease with these events seems far-fetched.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He stated he was a "lifelong champion of international law" but we "simply haven't got the full picture at the moment".

Critics demanded condemn it prior to the interview. And the government is expected to face further scrutiny to give an clear view in Parliament in the next few days.

And there has always been simmering desire in the Labour party to reverse or renegotiate some of the results of Brexit.

The PM rejects he's doing that, but his new firmer plan to integrate further with the European trading bloc – the vast economic European market – will likely trigger protests that he is breaking his vow never to try to overturn the results that flowed from Brexit.

A decision to integrate into more of the single market will please many on his own side, but it is easy fodder for Reform and the Conservatives to