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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it attempting to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the issues in Downing Street are about individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to MPs and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or ignored.

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 might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.