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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems 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. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and hearing the public. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are currently critical.

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

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.