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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales on Thursday to announce the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This represents a significant policy event with implications at local and countrywide levels. Yet, the PM did not dedicate extensive time in Wales to advocating solutions for the UK's power requirements. Rather, he used the time trying to draw a line under the Labour leadership briefing row, telling journalists that No 10 had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day acted as a small-scale example of what his premiership has evolved into overall. On the one hand, he wants his government to be doing, and to be perceived as performing, important things. On the other hand, he is unable to accomplish this due to the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now practices politics and government.

Sir Keir is unable to transform the culture of politics on his own, but he can do something about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could manage the government's core much more effectively than he does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less despair about his administration than it is, and that he was communicating his points more successfully.

Staffing Issues in Downing Street

Some of the problems in Number 10 relate to individuals. The personal dynamics of any No 10 regime are hard to know well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, 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 cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his top aide, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited Darren Jones in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have come and gone.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

Every prime minister spend too much time abroad and on international matters, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to MPs and listening to the citizens. Premiers also allocate too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by performing inadequately. But premiers cannot claim to be surprised when their politically appointed staff, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, cross lines or become the focus, as Mr McSweeney now has.

The most significant problems, though, are structural. It would be good to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s March 2024 study on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues in the summer or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like restructuring the roles of the central government office and No 10, and dividing the positions of top official and civil service head, are now urgent.

The dominant political role of PMs far outdistances the assistance provided 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 victim of past failures along with the author of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir would take control of the core and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Sadly, the biggest loser from this failure is Sir Keir himself.