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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to announce the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he used the time attempting to put an end to the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that No 10 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 evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the political culture on his own, but he can do something about his personal involvement in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he does. Should he achieve 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.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

A number of the issues in Downing Street are about personnel. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern well from outside. 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 incompletely.

• He hesitated about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to Chris Wormald.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of the Administration

All premiers spend too much time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The biggest issues, however, are structural. It would be good to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His inability to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office indicates recommendations like restructuring the functions of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and separating the jobs of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures as well as the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this failure is Sir Keir personally.