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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his own role 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 country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with MPs and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.