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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.