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"I'll remain in the same position by 2027," Sir Keir Starmer declared, joking that if our discussion proceeded smoothly, he might invite us into his official residence for another chat in the coming year.

For a PM, there's rarely ever time off for prime ministers. Shortly before we sat down, the PM had been on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and working to understand what on earth had happened in Venezuela, where his close political chum, US President Donald Trump, had just launched a strike against and detained its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time our lengthy talk, which was considerably lengthier than typical, had concluded, Maduro had been formally accused in New York.

Renewed Energy for the New Year

But as the new year begins, the Prime Minister appears to have had something of a revitalisation. Maybe even just a bit of a rest with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

That certainly seemed to have left him in better spirits than at the sluggish conclusion of 2025, a terrible year politically for him.

Yet, are he and his colleagues deluding themselves if they think his fortunes are about to turn around?

Leadership Questions

The grisly truth for the prime minister is that a significant number of his fellow MPs are convinced he's underperforming at his job. Several of them would sooner take a risk and get him out in 2026.

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

Repeatedly he stated he'd be "evaluated at the general election", arguing no one would remove his electoral mandate from him – even if the best chance of halting 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 intend to be at the forefront," he declared.

Upcoming Local Votes

The problem for the PM is that he will be scrutinised well ahead of then – in a huge set of elections in May across the UK. He tried to argue, maybe too much, that they are about who runs councils, and who runs the devolved administrations in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not about Westminster.

True – to some extent. But although 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 situation under which he would step down, even if a his MPs ran against him for the job, should those elections prove catastrophic for Labour.

An Optimistic Outlook

He tried to account for his low poll ratings by saying the voters was understandably anxious for things to improve. He aimed to convince me, and the nation, that the coming months would be different.

The economy would improve despite rising unemployment, he claimed, when plans the administration put in place during their initial turbulent year began to take effect.

• He vowed to empty asylum hotels ahead of the current deadline of 2029, but he did not put a firm date on that.
• He noted too, with the caveat that it was not a foregone conclusion, that a peace agreement in Ukraine felt a greater possibility now than at any point since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He stated for the first time that Western partners were now talking about how to integrate US and European forces to offer security for Ukraine – to safeguard a potential peace.

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

A Consistent Script

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

But despite encountering calls from many directions for a bolder approach, with increased political direction, more dynamism, more pace and more urgency, his points were well-known ones.

When he finds himself in such significant political difficulty, does he need a new narrative?

No government, and certainly not one that has been unpopular for an extended period, gets everything its own way.

The Prime Minister's challenges are not just because governing is hard, but because he and his team have faltered, including in the last few weeks.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister 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 after an outcry when past remarks he'd previously made – including calls for Zionists and police to be killed – resurfaced.

Sir Keir attributed it to "procedures" for not catching what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is facing clear political perils as the year progresses. His alliance with the US president takes on a new jeopardy after Trump's strikes on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a former human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over his career, the idea he would be at ease with these events seems unlikely.

International Law and Brexit

He asserted he was a "longtime advocate of international law" but the public "just haven't got the full picture at the moment".

Opponents wanted him to denounce it prior to the interview. And the administration is likely to face further scrutiny to give an clear view in Parliament in the coming days.

And there has long been simmering desire in the Labour ranks to revisit some of the results of Brexit.

Sir Keir denies he's doing that, but his new firmer commitment to move closer with the EU's single market – the giant economic European market – will probably elicit protests that he is breaking his pledge never to try to overturn the choices that flowed from Brexit.

A move to integrate into more of the single market will delight many on his backbenches, but it is simple material for Reform and the Conservatives to