10 Downing St Is Not Fit for Purpose

Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.