Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.
As such, 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 seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the country more generally – now conducts politics and government.
The Prime Minister is unable to 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 run the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.
Staffing Issues in No 10
Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.
- He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
- He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
- He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
- His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
- Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
- It is a mess.
Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration
All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.
The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.
The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.
This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.
