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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to change 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 run the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges 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 hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.