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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the construction of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against 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. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry 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 too little conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. 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 the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and No 10, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.