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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he desires his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the political culture on his own, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not 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 hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions 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 many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of past failures along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.