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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the construction 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 answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress 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 Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.