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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales this past Thursday to declare the construction of a new nuclear power station. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. However, the prime minister did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's power requirements. Instead, he spent it attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals in recent days.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he wants his government to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the manner he – and, partly, the nation more generally – now conducts political and governmental affairs.

The Prime Minister cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his personal involvement in it. The plain fact is that he could run the centre of government far better than he does. If he did this, he might find that the nation was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are hard to know accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious 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, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have been frequently replaced.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Structural Challenges at the Heart 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 conversing with parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or politically ambitious, overstep boundaries or become the story, as the chief of staff now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the a think tank's March 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. 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 indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of cabinet secretary and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of previous shortcomings as well as the author of current mistakes. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir personally.