🔗 Share this article

Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he can do something 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. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the issues in Downing Street relate to individuals. 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 good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with MPs and hearing the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided 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 previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.