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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core far better than he does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, 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 systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as 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 take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.