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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to north Wales this past 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 devote much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much 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 allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.