Starmer tells BBC ‘I’ll be PM this time next year’

Sir Keir Starmer dismissed concerns about his leadership and said he would still be prime minister this time next year.

In an exclusive BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, the prime minister said he believed May’s elections in Scotland, Wales and England were not a “referendum” on his government.

His comments come after a difficult 2025 for Sir Keir, who has struggled with slowing economic growth, poor poll ratings and speculation he could face leadership trouble.

In his latest New Year message, the Prime Minister promised to “eliminate the regression and division presented by others” and insisted 2026 would see people feel “positive change” in their lives.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Keir said: “I was elected on a five-year mandate in 2024 to change the country and that’s what I intend to do, to stay true to that mandate.

“And I know that when we come to the next election, I will be judged and judged on whether or not I have delivered on the important things that matter most to people.”

Parliament returns from its Christmas recess on Monday and the prime minister is set to hold the first Cabinet meeting of 2026 the following day.

He is expected to tell ministers: “I know families across the country are still worried about the cost of living.

“We will not give up our fight to make life better for them.”

In an interview with the BBC, the prime minister promised to act decisively in his leadership.

“Under the last government, we constantly saw leaders and teams being cut and changed, which caused complete chaos, utter chaos, and that is among the reasons why the Conservatives were so effectively ousted at the last election,” Sir Keir said.

“No one wants to go back to this. This is not in our national interest.

“We know from this evidence what happens if you go down that chaotic path, and I’m not going to take us back to that kind of chaos.

“I will sit in this seat until 2027, and if this long interview works, we can try it again in January next year.”

Sir Keir’s comments come more than five months ahead of elections for the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd, the Scottish Parliament and many local authorities in England on 7 May.

Each will have potentially huge consequences, as Labor is currently in power in the Senedd and governs most of the town councils in England where local elections are held.