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"I'll be positioned in this seat by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, noting that if our discussion went well, he might invite the interviewer into Downing Street for another chat in the coming year.

There is never any downtime for prime ministers. In the hour before the interview began, Sir Keir had been speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and working to decipher what on earth had transpired in Venezuela, where his close ally, US President Donald Trump, had just attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

When the discussion, which was far more extended than normal, had ended, Maduro had been indicted in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

But as the new year begins, Starmer seems to have had something of a refresh. Maybe even just some a rest with the family at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat.

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

Yet, are he and his allies being unrealistic if they think his fortunes are about to get better?

Internal Doubts

The uncomfortable reality for the leader is that many of his party members are convinced he's not very good at his job. A faction of them would sooner gamble and get him out this year.

But Starmer was having none of it when we spoke on Saturday morning.

Repeatedly he insisted he'd be "evaluated at the next election", arguing nobody would take his term from him – despite the fact that the most effective strategy of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 might be for Labour to replace its leader.

"We are in the fight of our generation and I plan to be at the forefront," he affirmed.

The May Elections

The problem for the PM is that he will be scrutinised long before then – in a mega set of elections in May across the UK. He sought to argue, maybe too much, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

True – up to a point. But even though he may be reluctant to concede it, No 10 will be evaluated by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir suggesting that there were no situation under which he would walk away, even if a his colleagues challenged him for the job, if those elections be very poor for Labour.

Promises of Improvement

He tried to rationalise his unpopularity by saying the voters was naturally anxious for things to improve. He aimed to convince me, and the public, that 2026 would be distinct.

The economic situation would improve in the face of rising unemployment, he claimed, when plans the administration implemented during their initial turbulent year began to bear fruit.

• He pledged to close asylum hotels before the current deadline of 2029, but he did not set a firm date on that.
• He noted too, with the caveat that it wasn't a foregone conclusion, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt more likely now than at any time since Russia's major invasion.
• He stated for the first time that Western partners were now talking about how to coordinate US and European forces to offer security for Ukraine – to protect a possible peace.

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

A Consistent Script

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

However, in spite of encountering pressure from many directions for a more decisive strategy, with increased political direction, more dynamism, more speed and more urgency, his points were repeated ones.

When he finds himself in such significant political trouble, should he consider a change of tack?

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

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

Regrets and Risks

The prime minister admitted that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to see the return of the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an backlash when statements he'd made in the past – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

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

And he is inviting obvious political perils as the year unfolds. His alliance with the US president takes on a new jeopardy after Trump's military action on Venezuela.

Based on years of interviewing Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who opposed the war in Iraq, over a long period, the notion he would be at ease with this kind of intervention seems far-fetched.

International Law and Brexit

He stated he was a "career-long advocate of international law" but we "just haven't got the complete details at the moment".

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

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

The PM denies he's heading in that direction, but his new specific pledge to align more closely with the single market – the huge economic European trading zone – will probably elicit accusations that he is going back on his pledge never to try to overturn the results that flowed from Brexit.

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