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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to declare 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 extensive 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 briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the culture of politics on his own, but he can 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 might find that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones 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.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like restructuring the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

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 neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of past failures as well as the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.