🔗 Share this article

Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures along with the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.