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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to declare the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture on his own, but he can take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in No 10

A number of the problems in Number 10 relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

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

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.