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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair 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 maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial 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 in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures along with the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.