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Sir Keir Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister 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, telling journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time 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. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, 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 present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.