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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region this past Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote extensive time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be perceived as performing, significant actions. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the nation as a whole – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister is unable to change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the centre of government far better than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 are about personnel. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or maintain them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to up his game, not do things slowly or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with a political strategist.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his chief secretary.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Core of Government

Every prime minister devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their political appointees, who tend to be party loyalists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are systemic. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His failure to grip these issues in the summer or afterward suggests he did not. The often abject performance of Labour’s time in office indicates IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the positions of top official and head of the civil service, are currently critical.

The dominant political role of prime ministers far outdistances the assistance provided to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and much is done badly or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings along with the author of current mistakes. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.