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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas 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 are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.