🔗 Share this article

"I will be positioned in the same position by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, noting that if our interview went well, he might welcome us into his official residence for a follow-up conversation in the coming year.

For a PM, there's never truly break for those in the top job. Just an hour before the interview began, Sir Keir had been on the phone with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and working to decipher exactly what had happened in Venezuela, where his close friend, US President Donald Trump, had recently attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

When our interview, which was considerably lengthier than usual, had ended, Maduro had been formally accused in New York.

A Refresh for the New Year

With the new year begins, Starmer seems to have had a degree of a revitalisation. Maybe even just a little relaxation with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence.

This appeared to have resulted in better spirits than at the sluggish end of 2025, a awful annus horribilis for him.

But are he and his allies deluding themselves if they reckon his fortunes are about to get better?

Party Concerns

The harsh reality for the prime minister is that numerous of his colleagues believe he's ineffective at his job. Some of them would sooner gamble and get him out in 2026.

But Sir Keir was having none of it during our conversation on Saturday morning.

Multiple times he told me he'd be "evaluated at the general election", arguing nobody would remove his five-year mandate from him – even if the best chance of stopping Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 may be for Labour to switch its leader.

"This is the struggle of our times and I aim to be at the forefront," he said.

The Spring Test

The problem for the PM is that he will be judged well ahead of then – in a mega set of elections in May across the UK. He sought to contend, perhaps excessively, that they are concerning who runs local authorities, 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 circumstances under which he would resign, even if one of his MPs contested his leadership for the job, should those elections prove very poor for Labour.

An Optimistic Outlook

He tried to explain his low poll ratings by saying the electorate was naturally impatient for things to improve. He aimed to convince me, and the public, that this year would be distinct.

The economy would strengthen in the face of rising unemployment, he argued, when policies the administration put in place during their first rocky year began to show results.

• He pledged to empty asylum hotels ahead of the current target date of 2029, but he wouldn't put a firm date on that.
• He added too, with the proviso that it was not a certainty, that a settlement in Ukraine felt a greater possibility now than at any point since Russia's comprehensive invasion.
• He disclosed for the first occasion that Western partners were now considering how to coordinate US and European forces to offer security for Ukraine – to guard a potential peace.

His central message is that this year the country will "reach a turning point".

Familiar Arguments

The prime minister may have communicated with more energy than I've seen from him for a some time – more relaxed, perhaps, with more time to talk.

However, in spite of encountering demands from many directions for a bolder approach, with greater political direction, more urgency, more speed and more urgency, his arguments were repeated ones.

Given that he is in considerable political trouble, should he consider a new narrative?

No administration, and certainly not one that has been unpopular for many months, has everything its as desired.

The Prime Minister's problems are not just because governing is difficult, but because he and his colleagues have made mistakes, including in the last few weeks.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister admitted 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 outcry when statements he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

Starmer attributed it to "the system" for failing to identify what the activist had said before – a more diplomatic way of saying it wasn't his responsibility.

And he is inviting clear political risks as the year unfolds. His friendship 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 his career, the thought he would be at ease with these events seems unlikely.

International Law and Brexit

He stated he was a "lifelong champion of international law" but the public "just lack the entire story at the moment".

Opponents wanted him to criticise the action before we spoke. And the government is expected to face more pressure to give an definitive view in Parliament in the next few days.

There has also consistently been bubbling tension in the Labour party to reverse or renegotiate some of the outcomes of Brexit.

The PM denies he's doing that, but his new firmer plan to move closer with the single market – the huge economic European market – will probably provoke accusations that he is reneging on his vow never to try to overturn the decisions that followed Brexit.

A move to cosy up to more of the single market will delight a faction on his backbenches, but it is simple material for Reform and the Conservatives to