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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can take action 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 could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.