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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to declare the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his top aide, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.