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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to declare 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 dedicate extensive 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, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth 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 nation was in less despair about his government than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about personnel. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters last July or since implies he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the central government office and Downing Street, and dividing the jobs of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the victim of past failures 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 disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.