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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to announce the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time attempting to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling reporters that Downing Street had not briefed against the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, partly, the country more generally – now practices politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the culture of politics on his own, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or by halves.

• He hesitated about assigning the crucial role of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with a political strategist.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, 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 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 activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The most significant problems, however, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or afterward suggests he did not. The frequently dismal experience of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like reorganizing the functions of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir himself.