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Prime Minister Starmer visited north Wales this past Thursday to announce the construction of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. However, the PM did not devote much time in Wales to advocating answers for the UK's energy needs. Instead, he spent it trying to put an end to the briefing controversy within Labour's leadership, telling journalists that Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary's goals earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a microcosm of what his premiership has now become overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, important things. Conversely, he is incapable to achieve this because of the way he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now practices political and governmental affairs.

Sir Keir cannot change the culture of politics single-handedly, but he can take action about his own role in it. The plain fact is that he could manage the government's core far better than he does. If he did this, he could discover that the country was in less despair about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in No 10

Some of the problems in Downing Street relate to personnel. The interpersonal relations of every Downing Street operation are difficult to discern accurately from the exterior. But it seems obvious that Sir Keir fails to make sound staffing decisions, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. 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 crucial role of cabinet secretary to a senior official.
• He made a former official his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He brought a Treasury figure in from the Treasury as his deputy.
• His media advisors have chopped and changed.
• Advisors on politics and policy have entered and exited.
• The situation is chaotic.

Structural Challenges at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time overseas and on foreign affairs, where Sir Keir should delegate more, and too little conversing with MPs and hearing the public. Prime ministers also allocate too much time doing media, which Sir Keir worsens by doing it poorly. Yet leaders cannot claim to be surprised when their political appointees, who tend to be party activists or ambitious in politics, overstep boundaries or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, though, are structural. It would be beneficial to think that Sir Keir read the Institute for Government’s spring 2024 report on reforming the centre of government. His inability to grip these issues last July or since implies he did not. The frequently dismal experience of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the functions of the Cabinet Office and Downing Street, and dividing the positions of top official and civil service head, are currently critical.

The political pre-eminence of PMs greatly exceeds the support available to them. Consequently, everything currently suffers, and many tasks are poorly executed or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s fault alone. He stands as the casualty of past failures along with the architect of present ones. Yet individuals who expected Sir Keir might get a grip on the centre and take the machinery of government seriously have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.