Number 10 Downing Street Is Not Capable of the Task

Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

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

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.