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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

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 accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on overhauling the centre of government. His inability to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances 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 stands as the casualty of past failures as well as the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.