🔗 Share this article

Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to declare the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership 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 due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.