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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to reveal the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the nation more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not 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 dithered about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues 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 talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who are often party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the focus, as the chief of staff has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, all aspects suffer, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as 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. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.