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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served 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, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, 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 Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.