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"I'll remain in the same office by 2027," the Prime Minister stated, joking that if the interview went well, he might welcome us into his official residence for another talk next year.

There is rarely ever downtime for those in the top job. Just an hour before we sat down, the PM had been on the phone with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and working to work out what on earth had occurred in Venezuela, where his big ally, US President Donald Trump, had recently launched a strike against and detained its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

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

A Refresh for the New Year

As the new year begins, the Prime Minister appears to have had something of a refresh. Maybe even just a little relaxation with his family at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

That certainly appeared to have resulted in a more positive mood than at the sluggish end of 2025, a awful political year for him.

But are he and his supporters being unrealistic if they reckon his fortunes are poised to get better?

Internal Doubts

The uncomfortable reality for the prime minister is that many of his colleagues think he's not very good at his job. A faction of them would sooner take a risk and get him out this year.

But Sir Keir was dismissing such talk in the interview on Saturday morning.

Multiple times he stated he'd be "assessed at the next election", insisting no one would remove his electoral mandate from him – even if the optimal path of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 could be for Labour to change its leader.

"We are in the fight of our times and I intend to guide the party," he declared.

The Spring Test

The problem for the PM is that he will be judged far sooner than then – in a mega set of elections in May across the UK. He sought to argue, perhaps excessively, that they are about who runs local authorities, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not about Westminster.

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

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

Predicting a Turnaround

He tried to rationalise his unpopularity by saying the public was reasonably eager for things to change. He aimed to persuade me, and the public, that the coming months would be a change.

The economic situation would strengthen despite rising unemployment, he claimed, when policies the administration put in place during their initial choppy year began to bear fruit.

• He committed to empty asylum hotels before the current target date of 2029, although he wouldn't set a specific date on that.
• He noted too, with the proviso that it was not a foregone conclusion, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt closer now than at any time since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He stated for the first time that Western partners were now talking about how to integrate US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to guard a potential peace.

His core message is that soon the country will "turn the corner".

Political Challenges

The PM may have communicated with renewed vitality than observed from him for a while – calmer, perhaps, with a longer slot to talk.

However, in spite of facing pressure from many directions for a bolder approach, with greater political vision, more dynamism, more pace and more immediacy, his explanations were well-known ones.

When he finds himself in considerable political trouble, is a different approach required a new narrative?

No administration, and especially not one that has been struggling in the polls for an extended period, gets everything its as desired.

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

Controversies and Dangers

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

Starmer blamed "procedures" for not realising what the activist had said before – a fancier way of saying not my fault.

And he is courting clear political dangers as the year unfolds. His close relationship with the US president entails a new jeopardy after Trump's strikes on Venezuela.

Based on years of interviewing Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over a long period, the notion he would be comfortable with these events seems unlikely.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He asserted he was a "longtime advocate of international law" but the public "just haven't got the full picture at the moment".

Critics called for him to criticise the action before we spoke. And the administration is expected to face increased demands to give an clear view in Parliament in the next few days.

There has also long been growing tension in the Labour party to undo or remake some of the consequences of Brexit.

Sir Keir denies he's doing that, but his new more concrete commitment to move closer with the EU's single market – the vast economic European market – will probably provoke howls that he is reneging on his vow never to try to undo the choices that followed Brexit.

A commitment to integrate into more of the single market will delight a faction on his side of the party, but it is easy fodder for Reform and the Conservatives to