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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the centre of government far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 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 good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of Labour’s time in office suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

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

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of past failures as well as the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.