10 Downing Street Is Not Fit for Purpose

Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to announce the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be doing, 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 transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively 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 effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.