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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to reveal the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.