🔗 Share this article

Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.