🔗 Share this article

Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture on his own, 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 far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay 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 problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official 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 been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to MPs and listening to the public. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, 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 a think tank's spring 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.