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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with MPs and hearing the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries 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 read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures as well as the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.