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Prime Minister Starmer visited Wales' northern region on Thursday to reveal the development of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a major policy announcement with both local and national implications. Yet, the prime minister did not devote extensive time in Wales to promoting answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he used the time attempting to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, informing reporters that No 10 had not briefed against the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

Therefore, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has evolved into more generally. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is unable to achieve this because of the way he – and, to an extent, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

The Prime Minister is unable to transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he does. If he did this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Staffing Issues in No 10

Some of the issues in Number 10 are about individuals. The personal dynamics of every Downing Street operation are hard to know 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 a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then substituted her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have been frequently replaced.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Systemic Issues at the Core of Government

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and insufficient time conversing with parliamentarians and hearing the public. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. Yet leaders cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, 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 good to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the government's central operations. His failure to address these matters last July or afterward implies he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration suggests IfG proposals like restructuring the roles of the central government office and Downing Street, and separating the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

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

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He is the victim of past failures as well as 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 disappointed. Sadly, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.