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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of past failures as well as the architect of present ones. 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 himself.