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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to announce the building of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

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

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about giving the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to parliamentarians and hearing the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

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

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.