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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to reveal the construction of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run 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 successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

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 fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered 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 Morgan McSweeney.
• 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 come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals 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 far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.