🔗 Share this article

Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with 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 crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.