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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now conducts 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 own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty 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 let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.