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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to reveal the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds 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 story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.