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Prime Minister Starmer traveled to north Wales on Thursday to reveal the building of a fresh nuclear energy facility. This is a significant policy event with both local and national implications. Yet, the PM did not dedicate much time in Wales to advocating solutions 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 Downing Street had not undermined the health secretary’s ambitions earlier this week.

As such, Sir Keir’s day served as a small-scale example of what his prime ministership has now become overall. Firstly, he desires his administration to be performing, and to be seen to be doing, significant actions. Conversely, he is incapable to accomplish this due to the manner he – and, partly, the country as a whole – now conducts politics and government.

Sir Keir cannot transform the culture of politics single-handedly, but he is able to take action about his own role in it. The simple truth is that he could run the government's core far better than he currently does. Should he achieve this, he might find that the country was in less dismay about his government than it currently is, and that he was getting his messages across more effectively.

Personnel Problems in Downing Street

Some of the issues in Downing Street relate to individuals. The interpersonal relations of any No 10 regime are difficult to discern well from outside. Yet it appears clear that Sir Keir fails to make good personnel choices, or stick with them. Perhaps he is too busy. Possibly he lacks genuine interest. But he needs to improve his performance, avoid slow progress or incompletely.

• He hesitated about giving the key job of top civil servant to a senior official.
• He appointed Sue Gray his chief of staff, then replaced her with Morgan McSweeney.
• He recruited a Treasury figure in from the finance ministry as his deputy.
• His communications chiefs have chopped and changed.
• Political and policy advisers have come and gone.
• It is a mess.

Systemic Issues at the Heart of the Administration

All premiers devote excessive time abroad and on foreign affairs, areas where Sir Keir ought to assign more tasks, and too little talking to parliamentarians and listening to the citizens. Prime ministers also spend too much time engaging with the press, which Sir Keir compounds by doing it poorly. But premiers cannot express surprise when their politically appointed staff, who are often party activists or politically ambitious, cross lines or become the story, as Mr McSweeney has recently.

The biggest issues, however, are systemic. It would be beneficial to believe that Sir Keir read the a think tank's spring 2024 study on overhauling the government's central operations. His failure to grip these issues last July or since suggests he did not. The often abject performance of the Labour administration indicates recommendations like reorganizing the roles of the Cabinet Office and No 10, and dividing the positions of cabinet secretary 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 much is done badly or neglected.

This isn't Sir Keir’s sole responsibility. He is the casualty of past failures along with the author of present ones. But those who hoped Sir Keir would take control of the centre and prioritize governmental structures have been disappointed. Unfortunately, the primary casualty from this shortcoming is Sir Keir personally.