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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to reveal the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• 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 Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the public. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think 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 frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.