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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the public. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and No 10, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of past failures as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.