🔗 Share this article

Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the issues in Downing Street are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.