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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to reveal the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics on his own, but he can take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, 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 a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with MPs and hearing the public. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. 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 primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir himself.