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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to announce the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, 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 take action about his own role 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 could discover that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.