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"I will be sitting in this seat by 2027," Sir Keir Starmer declared, joking that if the interview proceeded smoothly, he might welcome us into his official residence for another chat next year.

For a PM, there's never any break for prime ministers. Shortly before our chat started, the PM had been on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to understand exactly what had happened in Venezuela, where his key ally, US President Donald Trump, had recently targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Once the discussion, which was considerably lengthier than normal, had concluded, 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 some downtime with the family at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

That certainly appeared to have resulted in better spirits than at the saggy conclusion of 2025, a terrible political year for him.

But are he and his allies kidding themselves if they believe his standing are about to get better?

Party Concerns

The harsh reality for the leader is that a significant number of his party members think he's not very good at his job. A faction of them would sooner take a risk and get him out in 2026.

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

Multiple times he told me he'd be "evaluated at the general election", insisting no one would strip his electoral mandate from him – despite the fact that the optimal path of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 might be for Labour to replace leader.

"This is the battle of our generation and I intend to lead us," he said.

Upcoming Local Votes

The issue for the prime minister is that he will be assessed long before then – in a mega set of elections in May across the UK. He attempted to argue, maybe excessively, that they are about who runs councils, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not about Westminster.

True – in part. But although he may not want to admit it, No 10 will be evaluated by those elections too.

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

Predicting a Turnaround

He tried to account for his low poll ratings by saying the voters was naturally anxious for things to improve. He sought to convince me, and the public, that this year would be distinct.

The economy would recover in the face of rising unemployment, he argued, when strategies the government enacted during their first turbulent year began to bear fruit.

• He vowed to shut asylum hotels before the current deadline of 2029, although he wouldn't set a new date on that.
• He said too, with the qualification that it wasn't a done deal, that a peace agreement in Ukraine felt more likely now than at any time since Russia's major invasion.
• He stated for the first occasion that Western allies were now considering how to integrate US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to protect a possible peace.

His big message is that in 2026 the country will "see an improvement".

Political Challenges

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

But despite facing demands from various quarters for a more decisive strategy, with increased political clarity, more vigour, more pace and more immediacy, his explanations were familiar ones.

Given that he is in such significant political difficulty, does he need a different script?

No government, and especially not one that has been unpopular for many months, gets everything its own way.

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

Controversies and Dangers

The PM told me that he regretted saying he was "pleased" to see the return of 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 blamed "the process" for not catching what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is facing obvious political risks as the year progresses. His close relationship with the US president takes on a new jeopardy after Trump's strikes on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over many years, the thought he would be content with these events seems implausible.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He asserted he was a "longtime proponent of international law" but we "just lack the complete details at the moment".

Opponents demanded criticise the action before we spoke. And the government is likely to face further scrutiny to give an definitive view in Parliament in the coming days.

There has also consistently been simmering pressure in the Labour party to reverse or renegotiate some of the consequences of Brexit.

The PM disputes he's heading in that direction, but his new specific pledge to align more closely with the European trading bloc – the huge economic European trading zone – will probably provoke accusations that he is going back on his promise never to try to overturn the choices that followed Brexit.

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