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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the building of a new nuclear power station. This is a major policy announcement with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, informing reporters that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. Firstly, he wants his administration to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is incapable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the political culture single-handedly, but he can take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he could discover that the nation was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the crucial role of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who are often party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject experience of Labour’s time in office suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and separating the jobs of top official and head of the civil service, are now urgent.

The political pre-eminence of prime ministers greatly exceeds the assistance provided to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This is not Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the architect of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been let down. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.