🔗 Share this article 10 Downing St Fails to Be Capable of the Task Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to declare the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that Downing Street 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 evolved into overall. Firstly, he wants his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government. The Prime Minister is unable to transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively. Personnel Problems in No 10 Some of the issues in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must 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 Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney. He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary. His media advisors have been frequently replaced. Political and policy advisers have come and gone. The situation is chaotic. Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently. The most significant problems, though, 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 failure to address these matters in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent. The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored. This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures 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 biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.