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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 implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the problems 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 fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the architect 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. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.