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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the political culture on his own, but he can take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Downing Street relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs 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, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.