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Sir Keir Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region this past Thursday to announce the building 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 dedicate much time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become more generally. Firstly, he wants his government to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this due to the manner he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to change the political culture single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could run the government's core much more effectively than he currently does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Downing Street are about individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make sound staffing decisions, or maintain them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. However, he must to improve his performance, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about giving the crucial role of top civil servant to Chris Wormald.
• He made Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the public. Premiers also spend too much time doing media, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His failure to address these matters in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and No 10, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, all aspects suffer, and much is done badly or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the victim of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and prioritize governmental structures have been let down. Sadly, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.