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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. 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 stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, 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 ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be good 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 last July or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.