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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served 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. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Downing Street are about individuals. 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. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers 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, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or afterward implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with 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 primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.