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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government far better 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 getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.