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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. If he did 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.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear 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 hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or since suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances 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 past failures along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.