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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. 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 a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and No 10, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.