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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become overall. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture 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 far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation 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. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

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 too little conversing with MPs and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.