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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to declare the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the manner he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones 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.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.