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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive 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 reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

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

The Prime Minister cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, 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 much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.