🔗 Share this article

Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become overall. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time 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 claim to be surprised 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 biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like restructuring the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

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

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.