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"I will be sitting in this seat by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, joking that if our conversation proceeded smoothly, he might invite us into Downing Street for a follow-up chat in 2026.

For a PM, there's never any time off for leaders. Shortly before we sat down, the PM had been speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to understand precisely had happened in Venezuela, where his key political chum, US President Donald Trump, had just targeted and seized its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

When our interview, which was far more extended than typical, had finished, Maduro had been charged 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 a little downtime with his family at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat.

That certainly seemed to have left him in a more positive mood than at the sluggish tail end of 2025, a awful annus horribilis for him.

Yet, are he and his supporters being unrealistic if they think his standing are about to turn around?

Internal Doubts

The grisly reality for the leader is that numerous of his colleagues think he's not very good at his job. A faction of them would sooner gamble and oust him in 2026.

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

On several occasions he told me he'd be "evaluated at the next election", arguing no one would remove his five-year mandate from him – even if the best chance of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 could be for Labour to replace leader.

"We are in the struggle of our lifetime and I aim to be at the forefront," he affirmed.

The Spring Test

The issue for the PM is that he will be assessed far sooner than then – in a mega set of elections in May throughout the UK. He attempted to argue, perhaps excessively, that they are about who runs local authorities, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not a verdict on Westminster.

Accurate – in part. But even though he may be reluctant to acknowledge it, No 10 will be judged by those elections too.

Despite this, Sir Keir implying that there were no circumstances under which he would walk away, should one of his MPs ran against him for the job, should those elections be catastrophic for Labour.

An Optimistic Outlook

He sought to explain his low poll ratings by saying the public was reasonably anxious for things to improve. He sought to convince the interviewer, and the public, that this year would be a change.

The economic situation would recover despite rising unemployment, he argued, when policies the government implemented during their initial rocky year began to show results.

• He vowed to shut asylum hotels ahead of the current deadline of 2029, but he wouldn't put a specific date on that.
• He added too, with the qualification that it was not a done deal, that a peace deal in Ukraine felt closer now than at any time since Russia's major invasion.
• He stated for the first time that Western allies were now talking about how to coordinate US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to guard a possible peace.

His core message is that in 2026 the country will "turn the corner".

Political Challenges

The prime minister may have communicated with more energy than observed from him for a while – more relaxed, maybe, with a longer slot to talk.

But despite encountering pressure from within his own party for a bolder approach, with much more political clarity, more vigour, more pace and more immediacy, his explanations were familiar ones.

Given that he is in such significant political trouble, should he consider a different script?

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

The Prime Minister's challenges are not only because government is difficult, but because he and his team have erred, including in the recent past.

Regrets and Risks

The PM expressed regret that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK following an backlash when statements he'd made in the past – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – surfaced.

Starmer attributed it to "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 courting evident political perils as the year gets going. His alliance with the US president entails a new risk after Trump's strikes on Venezuela.

Based on years of interviewing 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 this kind of intervention seems far-fetched.

International Law and Brexit

He told me he was a "career-long champion of international law" but the public "simply haven't got the complete details at the moment".

Some demanded condemn it before the interview. And the government is likely to face further scrutiny to give an clear view in Parliament in the coming days.

And there has consistently been bubbling tension in the Labour ranks to reverse or renegotiate some of the consequences of Brexit.

Sir Keir denies he's heading in that direction, but his new specific commitment to align more closely with the EU's single market – the vast economic European market – will likely elicit howls that he is reneging on his promise never to try to overturn the results that followed Brexit.

A move to cosy up to more of the single market will delight many on his backbenches, but it is easy fodder for Reform and the Conservatives to