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"I will remain in this office by 2027," the Prime Minister declared, noting that if our interview proceeded smoothly, he might invite us into Downing Street for a follow-up chat in 2026.

For a PM, there's never any time off for prime ministers. Just an hour before the interview began, Sir Keir had been in calls with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to work out precisely had happened in Venezuela, where his close friend, US President Donald Trump, had recently targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

When our interview, which was far more extended than typical, had finished, Maduro had been formally accused in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

As the new year begins, Sir Keir appears to have had something of a revitalisation. Maybe even just a bit of downtime with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

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

But are he and his supporters kidding themselves if they believe his political fate are poised to improve?

Party Concerns

The harsh truth for the prime minister is that a significant number of his party members think he's not very good at his job. Some of them would rather take a risk and remove him this year.

But Sir Keir was rejecting the idea when we spoke on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he insisted he'd be "assessed at the next election", arguing nobody would strip his five-year mandate from him – even if the best chance of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 might be for Labour to replace leader.

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

Upcoming Local Votes

The problem for the prime minister is that he will be scrutinised far sooner than then – in a mega set of elections in May throughout the UK. He tried to argue, maybe excessively, that they are concerning who runs local authorities, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and unrelated to Westminster.

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

Despite this, Sir Keir suggesting that there were no scenario under which he would resign, should a his colleagues ran against him for the job, should those elections prove catastrophic for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He attempted to explain his low poll ratings by saying the voters was reasonably anxious for things to change. He aimed to assure the interviewer, and the nation, that 2026 would be distinct.

The economic situation would recover despite rising unemployment, he argued, when policies the government put in place during their initial turbulent year began to bear fruit.

• He committed to close asylum hotels ahead of the current target date of 2029, although he wouldn't put a new date on that.
• He noted too, with the caveat that it wasn't a certainty, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt more likely now than at any point since Russia's full-scale invasion.
• He stated for the first occasion that Western allies were now discussing how to integrate US and European forces to offer security for Ukraine – to protect a possible peace.

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

Familiar Arguments

The PM may have spoken with renewed vitality than observed from him for a while – more relaxed, maybe, with more time to talk.

However, in spite of facing calls from within his own party for a bolder strategy, with greater political vision, more urgency, more speed and more urgency, his arguments were familiar ones.

Given that he is in this much political trouble, is a different approach required a change of tack?

No administration, and especially not one that has been unpopular for many months, gets everything its as desired.

Sir Keir's challenges are not only because governing is hard, but because he and his colleagues have erred, including in the recent past.

Regrets and Risks

The PM expressed regret that he regretted saying he was "happy" to see the return of the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK following an outcry when statements he'd made in the past – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

Starmer attributed it to "the process" for failing to identify what the activist had said before – a fancier way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is facing evident political dangers as the year progresses. His friendship with the US president acquires a new risk after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over many years, the idea he would be at ease with this kind of intervention seems far-fetched.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He asserted he was a "lifelong advocate of international law" but we "simply do not have the complete details at the moment".

Opponents demanded criticise the action prior to the interview. And the government is likely to face more pressure to give an clear view in Parliament in the coming days.

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

Sir Keir rejects he's doing that, but his new firmer plan to integrate further with the EU's single market – the huge economic European trading zone – will likely provoke howls that he is reneging on his vow never to try to reverse the results that flowed from Brexit.

A decision to align with more of the single market will satisfy many on his side of the party, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to