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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 represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the issues in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers 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 fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as 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 disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.