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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to announce the development of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics on his own, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and listening to the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.