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As he eased back in his seat more than 30,000 feet above the dark blue waters of the deep Atlantic, Sir Keir Starmer was clear about the risk-laden decisions ahead. At the forefront of the Prime Minister’s mind, as his plane sped towards New York for a United Nations General Assembly meeting, was the daunting challenge of how to defeat Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, which military experts say threatens to escalate, escalate and escalate further.

- Sir Keir Starmer

Given the gravity of the situation, he could have been forgiven for being tense, flustered and on edge. But briefed by his senior No 10, Foreign Office and defence officials, and with his security detail nearby, his calm determination for Putin to fail was palpable.

The conflict, the bloodiest in Europe since the Second World War, has seen rapid adoption of new technologies such as drones and has further fuelled worries in Western capitals about the dangers of even faster-evolving artificial intelligence falling into evil hands. Amid this increasingly volatile and dangerous world, Starmer hails London’s reputation as a beacon “for the rule of law”, as well as its “entrepreneurial spirit” as he backs the capital to “grasp the nettle of AI” to develop it for the good of humankind. As a London lawyer and then MP, he has seen over the years how “change and innovation run deep in the veins of this brilliant city”, attributes which may be critical for it to now seize the crown as the global leader in AI.

Twelve weeks into his premiership, Starmer is clearly, some would say surprisingly, at ease in his role as PM, whether it is welcoming world leaders, hosting high-level meetings to push ahead with the Government’s growth agenda and tackle crime, or talking to officials and journalists. He is more self-confident than as opposition leader, almost relaxed and not yet weighed down by the burden of high office which so quickly aged many of his predecessors. However, the “clothesgate” row — about Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and deputy leader Angela Rayner receiving thousands of pounds of free clothes and other gifts from wealthy donors — is damaging for the Government. As the row simmers on, Starmer’s short-lived political honeymoon is now over.