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"I'll remain in the same office by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, noting that if the discussion went well, he might invite us into Number 10 for a follow-up talk in the coming year.

For a PM, there's rarely ever time off for leaders. Shortly before the interview began, Starmer had been speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and trying to decipher exactly what had happened in Venezuela, where his big friend, US President Donald Trump, had recently attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time the discussion, which was far more extended than typical, had concluded, Maduro had been formally accused in New York.

A Refresh for the New Year

But as the year commences, the Prime Minister seems to have had a kind of a revitalisation. Perhaps even just a little downtime with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

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

Yet, are he and his supporters deluding themselves if they think his political fate are poised to improve?

Internal Doubts

The uncomfortable reality for the leader is that a significant number of his colleagues are convinced he's ineffective at his job. Some of them would sooner take a risk and get him out this year.

But Starmer was dismissing such talk when we spoke on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he told me he'd be "evaluated at the poll", arguing no one would strip his five-year mandate from him – despite the fact that the optimal path of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 may be for Labour to change its leader.

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

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 sought to argue, maybe excessively, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

True – to some extent. But even though he may be reluctant to admit it, No 10 will be held accountable by those elections too.

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

Predicting a Turnaround

He tried to explain his low poll ratings by saying the electorate was reasonably anxious for things to change. He tried to convince me, and the public, that the coming months would be distinct.

The economy would improve notwithstanding rising unemployment, he said, when policies the administration enacted during their first choppy year began to show results.

• He committed to empty asylum hotels ahead of the current deadline of 2029, but he wouldn't set a new date on that.
• He noted too, with the proviso that it wasn't a done deal, that a settlement in Ukraine felt more likely now than at any point since Russia's major invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western partners were now discussing how to coordinate US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to guard a possible peace.

His big argument is that in 2026 the country will "reach a turning point".

Political Challenges

The prime minister may have communicated with greater vigour than I've seen from him for a some time – less tense, perhaps, with more time to talk.

But despite encountering calls from within his own party for a bolder approach, with increased political direction, more vigour, more pace and more urgency, his arguments were repeated ones.

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

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

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

Controversies and Dangers

The PM admitted that he regretted saying he was "happy" to see the return of the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an backlash when statements he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – surfaced.

Starmer attributed it to "the process" for not realising what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

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

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over a long period, the idea he would be comfortable with this kind of intervention seems unlikely.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He told me he was a "career-long advocate of international law" but the public "just haven't got the full picture at the moment".

Some wanted him to criticise the action before we spoke. And the government is expected to face further scrutiny to give an clear view in Parliament in the near future.

And there has consistently been bubbling pressure in the Labour party to revisit some of the results of Brexit.

The PM rejects he's pursuing that, but his new specific plan to move closer with the EU's single market – the giant economic European market – will likely trigger protests that he is going back on his pledge never to try to reverse the choices that stemmed from Brexit.

A commitment to align with more of the single market will delight many on his backbenches, but it is simple material for Reform and the Conservatives to