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"I'll remain in this position by 2027," the Prime Minister remarked, noting that if our discussion proceeded smoothly, he might welcome us into Downing Street for a follow-up chat in the coming year.

For a PM, there's rarely ever break for those in the top job. Shortly before we sat down, the PM had been in calls with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and attempting to decipher exactly what 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.

Once 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

With the year commences, Starmer appears to have had a kind of a refresh. Maybe even just some relaxation with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

This seemed to have left him in better spirits than at the sluggish end of 2025, a dreadful annus horribilis for him.

But are he and his colleagues deluding themselves if they reckon his political fate are set to get better?

Leadership Questions

The uncomfortable reality for the PM is that numerous of his party members are convinced he's not very good at his job. A faction of them would rather gamble and remove him this year.

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

Repeatedly he told me he'd be "evaluated at the next election", arguing no one would remove his term from him – despite the fact that the most effective strategy of halting Nigel Farage and Reform UK reaching No 10 could be for Labour to replace leader.

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

The May Elections

The challenge for the prime minister is that he will be assessed well ahead of then – in a mega set of elections in May throughout the UK. He attempted to protest, maybe 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 – to some extent. But even though he may be reluctant to acknowledge it, No 10 will be held accountable by those elections too.

This did not stop Sir Keir stating that there were no circumstances under which he would walk away, should one of his colleagues challenged him for the job, if those elections be disastrous for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He attempted to explain his unpopularity by saying the electorate was understandably eager for things to improve. He aimed to convince the interviewer, and the public, that the coming months would be distinct.

The economic situation would strengthen notwithstanding rising unemployment, he claimed, when policies the administration implemented during their initial rocky year began to show results.

• He vowed to close asylum hotels before the current target date of 2029, although he did not put a firm date on that.
• He noted too, with the qualification that it was not a foregone conclusion, that a settlement in Ukraine felt closer now than at any time since Russia's full-scale invasion.
• He stated for the first occasion that Western allies were now discussing how to coordinate US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to safeguard a potential peace.

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

A Consistent Script

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

But despite facing demands from many directions for a more decisive approach, with increased political vision, more vigour, more speed and more urgency, his arguments were familiar ones.

When he finds himself in this much political trouble, should he consider a new narrative?

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

Sir Keir's problems are not just because governing is challenging, but because he and his colleagues have made mistakes, even in the last few weeks.

Controversies and Dangers

The prime minister expressed regret that he regretted saying he was "delighted" to welcome back the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK after an backlash when past remarks he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

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

And he is inviting obvious political dangers as the year progresses. His friendship with the US president acquires a new complication after Trump's strikes on Venezuela.

Having interviewed 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.

Policy Stances and Pressures

He stated he was a "lifelong proponent of international law" but the public "simply lack the complete details at the moment".

Opponents demanded condemn it prior to the interview. And the administration is expected to face further scrutiny to give an explicit view in Parliament in the next few days.

There has also consistently been growing tension in the Labour ranks to revisit some of the results of Brexit.

The PM denies he's pursuing that, but his new specific pledge to align more closely with the single market – the huge economic European trading zone – will likely provoke accusations that he is breaking his vow never to try to reverse the choices that followed Brexit.

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