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Sir Keir Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to announce the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something 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 country was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. 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 appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens 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 Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official 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 many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. 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 failure is Sir Keir himself.