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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, 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 does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones 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 Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Premiers also spend 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 politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions 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 dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.