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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to declare the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair 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 Downing Street are about personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern 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. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

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 parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend 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 are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds 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 past failures along with the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.