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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to reveal the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 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 evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with MPs and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers 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 now has.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.