🔗 Share this article Number 10 Downing St Fails to Be Capable of the Task Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days. As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government. Sir Keir cannot change the political culture on his own, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth 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 successfully. Personnel Problems in No 10 Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves. He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald. He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney. He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy. His media advisors have been frequently replaced. Political and policy advisers have entered and exited. The situation is chaotic. Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to MPs and hearing the public. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has. The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical. The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored. This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.