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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to reveal the development of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. Firstly, he desires his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot change the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to do something about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the centre of government far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in No 10

A number of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear 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 improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the public. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, 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 neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.