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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions 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 government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this due to the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, 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 performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures along with the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.