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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of present ones. But those who hoped 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 failure is Sir Keir himself.