🔗 Share this article

Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds 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 as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.