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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to announce the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister 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 citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of past failures along with the architect of current mistakes. 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 failure is Sir Keir himself.