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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is 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 attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Number 10 relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs 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 devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures as well as the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.