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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he currently 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 No 10

A number of the issues in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers 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 sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.