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"I'll be positioned in this office by 2027," Sir Keir Starmer stated, joking that if the discussion proceeded smoothly, he might invite us into his official residence for another chat in 2026.

For a PM, there's rarely ever time off for prime ministers. In the hour before the interview began, the PM had been in calls with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and working to decipher exactly what had occurred in Venezuela, where his key ally, US President Donald Trump, had just attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time our lengthy talk, which was much longer than typical, had finished, Maduro had been charged in New York.

A Refresh for the New Year

But as the new year begins, Sir Keir appears to have had a kind of a refresh. Perhaps even just some relaxation with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

That certainly seemed to have resulted in a more positive mood than at the difficult end of 2025, a dreadful year politically for him.

But are he and his colleagues deluding themselves if they think his fortunes are about to improve?

Party Concerns

The harsh reality for the prime minister is that numerous of his colleagues think he's not very good at his job. Some of them would rather gamble and remove him sooner rather than later.

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

Repeatedly he stated he'd be "evaluated at the poll", insisting nobody would strip his five-year mandate from him – despite the fact that the most effective strategy of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK entering No 10 might be for Labour to switch leader.

"This is the fight of our lifetime and I aim to guide the party," he affirmed.

The Spring Test

The problem for the prime minister is that he will be assessed far sooner than then – in a huge set of elections in May throughout the UK. He attempted to contend, perhaps excessively, that they are about who runs local authorities, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

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

This did not stop Sir Keir stating that there were no scenario under which he would resign, even if one of his colleagues ran against him for the job, should those elections prove very poor for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He attempted to rationalise his low poll ratings by saying the voters was naturally anxious for things to get better. He tried to assure the interviewer, and the public, that the coming months would be distinct.

The economy would strengthen despite rising unemployment, he argued, when policies the administration implemented during their initial rocky year began to take effect.

• He pledged to close asylum hotels ahead of the current target date of 2029, although he wouldn't put a firm date on that.
• He noted too, with the qualification that it was not a foregone conclusion, that a peace agreement in Ukraine felt closer now than at any time since Russia's full-scale invasion.
• He revealed for the first occasion that Western partners were now discussing how to integrate US and European forces to ensure security for Ukraine – to protect a possible peace.

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

Political Challenges

The PM may have spoken with more energy than observed from him for a some time – calmer, perhaps, with a longer slot to talk.

But despite facing pressure from within his own party for a bolder approach, with greater political direction, more dynamism, more pace and more immediacy, his points were familiar ones.

Given that he is in this much political peril, should he consider a change of tack?

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

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

Regrets and Risks

The PM expressed regret that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to see the return of the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK following an outcry when statements he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

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

And he is courting evident political risks as the year gets going. His close relationship with the US president acquires 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 his career, the idea he would be comfortable with such action seems far-fetched.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He told me he was a "longtime champion of international law" but we "simply haven't got the entire story at the moment".

Some demanded condemn it before the interview. And the government is expected to face more pressure to give an clear view in Parliament in the coming days.

And there has consistently been simmering desire in the Labour party to undo or remake some of the outcomes of Brexit.

Sir Keir rejects he's doing that, but his new specific commitment to integrate further with the single market – the huge economic European trading zone – will likely trigger protests that he is breaking his vow never to try to reverse the decisions that stemmed from Brexit.

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