10 Downing St Is Not Up to the Job

Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics 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 does. Should he achieve this, he might find 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 Downing Street

A number of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate 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 activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.