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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become overall. 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, to an extent, the country as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government much more effectively than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 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 fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He hesitated about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs 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 express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions 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. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He stands as the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.