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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 significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. However, the prime minister did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he spent it trying to draw a line under the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a microcosm of what his premiership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he desires his administration to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this due to the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to 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 manage the centre of government far better than he currently does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less dismay about his administration than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more successfully.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir does not make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Maybe he is overly occupied. Perhaps he is not really interested. However, he must to up his game, not do things slowly or by halves.

• He dithered about assigning the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his chief secretary.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

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 citizens. Premiers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who are often party loyalists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as the chief of staff now has.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir reviewed the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters in the summer or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration suggests recommendations like reorganizing the functions 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 support available to them. As a result, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or ignored.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures along with 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 let down. Unfortunately, the biggest loser from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.