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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time 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.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, 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 does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The most significant problems, however, 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 failure to grip these issues last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures along with the architect of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.