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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to declare the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time 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 ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to 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. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy 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, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, 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 good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.