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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. On the one hand, 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 country more generally – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Number 10 are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, 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 crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of past failures as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.