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"I'll be sitting in the same office by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, adding that if the discussion went well, he might invite us into Downing Street for another conversation next year.

For a PM, there's never any time off for those in the top job. In the hour before our chat started, Starmer had been on the phone with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and working to decipher what on earth had happened in Venezuela, where his big ally, US President Donald Trump, had just attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once our lengthy talk, which was considerably lengthier than typical, had finished, Maduro had been indicted in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

As the year commences, Sir Keir seems to have had a kind of a refresh. Maybe even just some relaxation with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat.

This seemed to have resulted in better spirits than at the difficult conclusion of 2025, a dreadful political year for him.

But are he and his supporters being unrealistic if they believe his political fate are poised to get better?

Party Concerns

The grisly reality for the leader is that a significant number of his colleagues believe he's ineffective at his job. Some of them would sooner gamble and get him out sooner rather than later.

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

On several occasions he stated he'd be "judged at the next election", arguing no one would remove his five-year mandate from him – even if the best chance of stopping Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 may be for Labour to switch its leader.

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

The Spring Test

The challenge for the PM is that he will be assessed well ahead of then – in a major set of elections in May throughout the UK. He attempted to protest, maybe excessively, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

True – up to a point. But although he may be reluctant to admit it, No 10 will be judged by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir stating that there were no circumstances under which he would step down, should a his colleagues ran against him for the job, if those elections be disastrous for Labour.

Promises of Improvement

He tried to rationalise his unpopularity by saying the electorate was reasonably anxious for things to get better. He aimed to persuade the interviewer, and the public, that this year would be distinct.

The economic situation would strengthen notwithstanding rising unemployment, he argued, when policies the administration put in place during their first rocky year began to bear fruit.

• He pledged to empty asylum hotels ahead of the current target date of 2029, although he did not set a specific date on that.
• He noted too, with the proviso that it wasn't a done deal, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt a greater possibility now than at any point since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western allies were now talking about how to combine US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to safeguard a potential peace.

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

Political Challenges

The prime minister may have spoken with greater vigour than I've seen from him for a while – more relaxed, perhaps, with a longer slot to talk.

However, in spite of facing calls from many directions for a bolder strategy, with greater political clarity, more urgency, more pace and more immediacy, his arguments were repeated ones.

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

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

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

Regrets and Risks

The prime minister expressed regret that he regretted saying he was "happy" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK following an backlash when comments he'd previously made – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – resurfaced.

Starmer attributed it to "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 progresses. His close relationship with the US president entails a new jeopardy after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over many years, the thought he would be content with such action seems implausible.

International Law and Brexit

He stated he was a "longtime proponent of international law" but the public "simply lack the complete details at the moment".

Critics called for him to criticise the action before we spoke. And the government is likely to face more pressure to give an definitive view in Parliament in the coming days.

And there has always been bubbling pressure in the Labour ranks to reverse or renegotiate some of the outcomes of Brexit.

Sir Keir denies he's doing that, but his new specific plan to move closer with the European trading bloc – the giant economic European trading zone – will likely trigger accusations that he is reneging on his pledge never to try to undo the decisions that stemmed from Brexit.

A decision to cosy up to more of the single market will please many on his own side, but it is prime ammunition for Reform and the Conservatives to