🔗 Share this article

Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 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 prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Downing Street relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs 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

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.