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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the political culture on his own, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Number 10 are about personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain 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 crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with MPs and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff 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 overhauling the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

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 sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures along with the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.