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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Premiers 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 politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.